A Different Path
by Kiwifan7
Summary: The end of the battle with Aizen brings significant changes for Ichigo, and gains the attention of a certain blonde arrancar. Can he not only survive these changes-and their consequences-but forge a new path for himself? A/U. Rated for language, adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: hello all! My sophomore foray into the world of FanFic. This was something I've always found intriguing, and I hope you do too! I've actually had this first chapter written for a while now, however I wanted a really good beta to help as needed for sustainability. Wiggles, you are awesome. As with anything I post, I certainly hope you enjoy. Please read, review, and keep any non-productive/constructive criticisms to yourself! (No one is forcing you to read it)**

**I don't own bleach.**

**Key: **

**test- spirit speaking**

_test_**- inner thoughts and flashbacks**

**Tier Harribel**

Tier regained consciousness with a low groan. Clutching her throbbing abdomen, she groaned again as she opened her eyes. Turning her head slightly, all she could see was the rubble from the battle with the shinigami, and she noted through her pain that the entire city was most likely in ruins.

_'So much destruction and death for one traitorous man's dream of power. Even the lives of those who followed and were loyal to him... of my fraccion, of myself...were expendable. I swear, given the chance, I will end your life for this treachery, Aizen'_, she thought in silent fury.

Her fury was accompanied by a wave of sadness as she thought of her fallen fraccion. Their beast had unfortunately drawn the attention of the Captain Commander of the shinigami, against whom Tier would be sorely tested even on her best of days.

_'Sung-sun, Apacci, Mila-Rose, I am sorry I could not protect you.'_

Tier decided that if she regained the ability to move about, that she would try to recover their bodies, in the chance that they had not dissolved.

**'Save your energy, Tier. I am trying to heal you enough for us to escape from this forsaken place, and you moving around and getting angry isn't helping," **said a voice in her mind.

Looking down at her body, Harribel saw a long, angrily colored scar along her torso where her wound had closed.** "Healing you will be a long process. I have only managed to stop the bleeding. Retract our Resurrecion so all available energies can go to repairing your body."**

Though she agreed she should do as the voice asked, Tier responded to that voice in her mind with a growl, _'I just lost those most dear to me and was betrayed almost to my death, Tiburon. Do not think to tell me to not be angry. In this moment, the only thing that could bring me some semblance of peace would be to run you through Aizen's heart...to watch the light leave his eyes as that despicable being leaves this world.'_

Trying to remain calm and reign in her irritation, Tiburon sighed. She knew the agony that Tier was going through, Hell, she was part of her soul and was experiencing it as well...but this wasn't the time for anger.

Relenting for the moment, Tiburon said, **"Yes, Tier, I understand. However, I vote for self-preservation at this moment. We have no allies, severely weakened power, and captain-level shinigami most likely crawling the largest portion of this place. You should cast your pesquisa, so we can determine how to get out of here."**

Again, Harribel agreed with the suggestion of her zanpakuto, reverting back to her sealed form while standing and sheathing Tiburon's blade with great effort.

Closing her eyes and casting her pesquisa, she quickly sensed the reiatsu of multiple shinigami with various levels of strength to the south of where she was, as well as incredibly faint hollow signatures to the north.

However, as she was observing the reiatsu signatures her abilities had revealed, her attention was captured as she felt a tremendous, familiar reiatsu signature surging towards her at an incredible rate. _'Aizen_!'

Opening her eyes and turning, she prepared to release her blade. Regardless of how much pain she was in, regardless of how weak she felt at the moment, regardless of the fact that she knew she stood no chance against this monstrous reiatsu: if she was going to die- she would die fighting.

However, she froze in shock as she caught sight of a man with orange hair flying impossibly fast while dragging a man in solid white with large, white wings, long brown hair, and the overwhelming reiatsu that she recognized as Aizen's, by gripping his face!

_'How...? That hair...it must be Ichigo Kurosaki. How could he possibly be strong enough to dominate Aizen so, when he struggled to defeat Grimmjow? I cannot feel the slightest trace of reiatsu from him, yet he was dragging the strongest being I've ever encountered by his face with his bare hand!'_

**"Tier! What are you doing?! We have to get away!**", Tiburon shouted in Tier's mind as she sensed the arrancar struggling to stand up and attempting follow the men she just saw fly by.

_'I have to see this. This boy...if he can dominate that monster, he may actually be able to bring about the end of Aizen,'_ Tier thought as if in a trance.

As Harribel slowly made her way towards the source of Aizen's reiatsu, she was amazed at how the ground beneath her shook and the landscape around her was being demolished with each clang of metal.

Unable to turn away, though, she pressed on, slowly making her way. She felt an overwhelming compulsion to see this battle. The orange haired shinigami she had just seen had captured her complete attention with his amazing display of power against the...creature...that she now despised.

To be honest, the young shinigami had garnered her attention back in Hueco Mundo. His battle against Grimmjow was one of the more...interesting...things she had witnessed in her life.

Actually, his entire venture into the hollow world to save one friend had interested her. A hybrid of human, shinigami, and hollow risking his life and fighting overwhelming odds to save one human? She had never encountered anyone with that level of determination and selflessness.

Entering the far edges of the battleground, her thoughts and severely weakened sonidos were halted as she was slammed back into a nearby mountain from the force of a massive explosion. She groaned as she felt several bones break on impact, and her wound reopen.

After a few moments, when the flames of the explosion had quelled by a massive wave of reiatsu, Harribel-though barely conscious and unable to move -was able to open her eyes and view the frightening scene before her.

Far above a massive crater in the ground, a white being with a black face, large white wings, small white faces and small purple eyes spaced evenly on those wings, held the shinigami by the throat. The eyes on the wings were opened wide, and three hollow circles surrounded his head.

After a moment of Aizen telling the shinigami how powerless he now was, she heard him bellow, "It is over, Ichigo Kurosaki!"

In her daze, Tier couldn't help but to think of the nature of the man in Aizen's grasp. _'Ichigo Kurosaki, I remember you...you are an unusual being. You seem to exist to defy all odds, yet you never lose your humanity. Even Grimmjow, who constantly berated you and tried to kill you for fun...I remember you lowering him to the ground, rather than dropping him like trash...You are...different. I would have preferred to meet you, Ichigo Kurosaki. Pity, It seems in the end you were just another cut down by...'_

"Over?", she heard Ichigo say, interrupting her thoughts. "Is this all you've got?"

Stunned into full consciousness, Tier was speechless as she watched the man in black slash Aizen's chest with a jet black blade that seemed to be attached to his hand. The sheer power from the swing dissipated the hollow circles and forced Aizen back.

"Lets end this," the man called Ichigo continued, "I'm sick of your talking. I'll show you...the Final Getsuga Tensho."

When he had finished speaking, Harribel watched as Ichigo disappeared into a massive cloud of white reiatsu that seemed to have black flames dancing about. She had never before witnessed such a sight, yet even with the massive amount of reiatsu visibly released, she still couldn't feel anything from the shinigami named Ichigo.

When the cloud disappeared, she was stunned at the transformation. The once orange hair was now a long mane of black, his eyes a burning red, and the man's clothes seemed to be made of black reiatsu.

Tier listened in stunned silence when she heard Ichigo explain the Final Getsuga Tensho. She felt something deep within her stir as he said, "If I use this technique, I lose all of my shinigami powers. That's why it's the final one."

_'He is sacrificing his powers to defeat Aizen? Aren't shinigami powers part of their own soul?!'_

She found that his words were resonating within her innermost being and both Tier and Tiburon were in awe of the immense sacrifice being displayed before their very eyes. This young shinigami was clearly risking everything, willing to sacrifice all that he is, to defeat Aizen.

Given her nature, Harribel felt herself hoping that this gamble succeeded. Never had she met a man like Ichigo Kurosaki. His power, his selfless sacrifice, his obvious strength of character...they spoke to her on a level she couldn't fully comprehend, but one that she knew was there.

She was continuing to hope when she heard a loud _shing_, and then one word before all the world went silent.

"Mugetsu."

When Ichigo had uttered this word, a mountainous surge of jet black reiatsu leapt from his hand towards Aizen. The sheer power of the attack seemed to suppress any and all noise, until it dissipated with a loud roar.

When the massive surge had settled, she saw Aizen's ragged body fall from the sky, slamming into the dirt below. Her nerves were nearing unravelling though, as she saw his body partially regenerate itself from the wounds as the young shinigami seemed to appear on the ground near where Aizen had landed.

_'He is still not dead?! It would seem, young Ichigo Kurosaki, that your sacrifice may have been for naught._

She found this thought, the thought of Ichigo falling to Aizen...the thought of Ichigo falling...to be...unpleasant. Tier actually felt a pang of disappointment, though, as she found that she had been subconsciously hoping for a chance to meet this young shinigami...once the aftershock of the war had died down.

Her attention went back to the battlefield, and she couldn't stifle the gasp that escaped her as the shinigami's hair returned to bright orange and his flaming black form disappeared. She looked on in what she now recognized as sorrow, as he fell to his hands and knees in obvious exhaustion.

Harribel's head spun as her wounds were quickly catching up to her, and she struggled to remain awake. Watching Aizen slowly rise, she began to vaguely feel the same fear she felt for her fraccion as he stood over the weakened Ichigo.

She felt her pain dragging her under, her weak grip on consciousness failing and leaving her genuinely afraid when she heard the traitorous monster growl, "Ichigo Kurosaki...you lose."

**With Ichigo**

"Ichigo Kurosaki," Aizen said, straightening himself up, "you lose." Though his breathing was labored, he was able to get to his feet and look down on the still kneeling Substitute. He raised his now crumbling zanpakuto, which caused him to smirk.

If it weren't for the massive loss of energy, Ichigo would have loved to punch him in his smug face. The reality was, though, the fact that Aizen was still standing, still regenerating was quite unnerving.

"My zanpakuto is disappearing. You know what this means. The Hogyoku has decided that I no longer need a zanpakuto. I will now surpass even the power you had attained before you lost"-_FSSSSHHH_. Aizen was cut off as a large red spear of kido appeared through his chest. Confused, he exclaimed, "What the hell is this!? When did you..."

"So it's finally taking effect," an airy voice said. Startled, Ichigo and Aizen whipped around to see Kisuke Urahara land near where Ichigo was standing. "I fired that kido into you when you were evolving. It seems, as I suspected, that it only took effect after Kurosaki-san weakened you, fighting you so hard that you were pushed to your limits. It's a seal that I invented."

"I see," Aizen chuckled, relaxed by knowing that the Hogyoku would easily overcome this obstacle. "I'm sorry to tell you, that you cannot seal me with this level kido."

However, the moment Aizen stopped speaking, ten other kido spears appeared through his chest, and his white hollow shell began to shatter.

"How...how can this be?!", he cried, a note of panic entering his voice.

"The seal is taking effect, and it would seem that the Hogyoku is rejecting you as it's master," Urahara said quietly. As he spoke, a different, off-white shell seemed to be consuming Aizen, quickly covering his whole body, save for his head.

"NO! This is impossible! I am a true transcendent being! I subjected the Hogyoku to my will! I am"-_BOOM_! Before Aizen could finish, the seal completed, covering Aizen in a strange cross-like form.

"It is finished," Urahara whispered, breathing a sigh of relief. Turning to Ichigo, who was now returning to his feet, he continued softly, "His seal will be moved to Soul Society and Central 46 will decide his fate. Ichigo, your efforts, risk and sacrifice have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. I know it's not much in the face of what you've sacrificed...not only your powers, but your way of life-and part of your soul...but I wish to say...you did the right thing, thank you."

"I never did this for praise, Urahara-san," Ichigo said quietly when he was finally able to speak. "I knew the risks, and while I can't say I have no regrets...I can say that it was worth the sacrifice." Yet, even as Ichigo spoke those words, his mind violently attempted to reject the idea.

Turning to Urahara, he knew he shouldn't, but he had to ask, "Urahara-san...how long...I mean...when will I lose...", he trailed off, unable to finish.

At that moment, Ichigo's sentence turned into a scream of pure agony. A searing, mind-shattering pain erupted within his chest, and his hands began to claw at his chest as if he were trying to pry it open.

He began to blindly panic as felt as if someone had reached their hand into his chest and that they were attempting to rip his heart out. Urahara was about to cast a binding spell on him to keep him from actually peeling his skin off when Ichigo's scream was abruptly cut off.

Kisuke's eyes widened as he saw black reiatsu suddenly flooding out of Ichigo, leaving the younger shinigami gasping desperately on the ground. After a moment, when the dark cloud of reiatsu had disappeared, Urahara noticed Ichigo on all fours in his normal shinigami garb, but with no zanpakuto.

While he was gasping desperately to catch his breath on the outside, inside his strained mind Ichigo heard Zangetsu's voice once more say faintly, "**farewell, Ichigo"**, as the excruciating pain he had just felt quickly faded into an empty numbness.

Ichigo couldn't help the fear and panic that now tightly gripped his heart. Yes, he could put on a brave face, but losing his way of life...losing part of his soul, terrified him.

He could not regret the result. Lives were saved and peace was achieved, but why did it have to be at such a price? Why did his soul have to be the cost for everyone else?

Shakily coming to his feet next to Urahara once again, Ichigo was still trying to catch his breath as he thought, _'He...he's gone. My soul feels so hollow. Just now, when Zangetsu was ripped from me, it felt like a hole was torn in my very existence.'_

Kisuke Urahara had never been a highly emotional man. His highly scientific mind and incredible intellect provided him an escape from the overwhelming powers of feelings and emotions. However, the fear he heard in Ichigo's voice, and the painful exhibit he just saw his former student go through, was something that he found to be incredibly painful.

_Why is it that the young always pay the price for the sins of the old? This boy...no, this man sacrificed part of his soul, his happiness, and risked his life for worlds who offered nothing in return, and it seems that it falls to me to put the final touches on his grief. Fate is not kind to him in the least.'_

Deciding not to pressure him on what just happened, as it was obvious to the former captain that Ichigo's zanpakuto spirit was just forcefully ripped from him, he answered the question that had been cut off.

"It's hard to say, Kurosaki-san. This will be an increasingly unpleasant experience for you. You will experience intense bouts of pain over an uncertain amount of time as your shinigami powers fade, most likely in stages. Though Zangetsu seems to already be gone, you still have remnants of your powers. As far as when they will fully disappear, it could be tomorrow or it could be a year from now. There is really no way to know for sure."

Ichigo's heart clenched at the words. He was not worried about the pain. He had felt pain, unimaginable pain. Pain was tangible. He could understand it, therefore it drew little fear from him.

No, what terrified Ichigo was the idea that this life...the life he had come to hold so dear...the people he had come to care about so much, the power to protect and the communion with his soul... would disappear at any moment. The arbitrary nature of this both terrified and infuriated him.

_Just give me something concrete! Why do I have to live in constant fear?'_ His grief and fear felt as though they were tearing at his sanity. _'I wish I had not had to sacrifice my powers...my soul. How can I protect anything when I am simply human? This is the price I have to pay for that bastard's ridiculous ambition?'_

Rage began to build in his mind as he turned to face the seal that contained Aizen.

Aizen.

The word itself seared a burning hatred in his heart, a heart that now screamed out in agony and in loss. Agony of losing part of his soul, loss of his way of life and friends he had come to trust with his own life. It was just too much.

Joining his heart, Ichigo unleashed another furious, agonized bellow that echoed across the destroyed landscape.

_Thud_.

A large pulse of energy shook the ground. It seemed to resonate with Ichigo's fury, his agony.

_Thud_.

The pulse seemed to be a feeling...a presence of sorts. As Ichigo stared at Aizen's seal, he sensed the pulsing feeling intensify.

_THUD_.

Each pulse matched one of Ichigo's heartbeats. With each pulse, an incredible reiatsu began to permeate the area, overwhelming both Ichigo and Urahara, who were forced to a knee.

The reiatsu was becoming so thick that Ichigo could feel it pressing on his skin...hear its voiceless cry...he could even taste what seemed to be bitter agony. Feelings of agony, betrayal, fury, desperation, and hopelessness seemed to pour faster from the seal the more that Ichigo could sense them.

_THUD_.

"Ichigo, move away!", Urahara called loudly. While he could not feel the specific substance of the reiatsu that was locking Ichigo into place, he was wary of what could transpire. His mind went into overdrive as he began preparing for the worst possible scenarios. _'Aizen must still have his power. Did the Hogyoku not reject him?!'_

As the pressure grew, Ichigo could sense that the feelings within it intensified, growing to include a desperate longing. It seemed as if the very essence of the seal was screaming for release. As the pressure reached its peak, a brilliant purple light began to glow at the center of Aizen's seal.

_THUD...THUD...THUDTHUDTHUDTHUD..._

Suddenly, the brilliant light erupted, creating a small beam that slammed into Ichigo's chest and appeared as a solid purple connection between Ichigo's body and Aizen's seal.

"Ichigo!", Urahara cried as the light obscured his view of the younger shinigami. _'What is happening?! Surely Aizen is powerless at this point!'_

Ichigo couldn't move. He was forced to both knees and his face was contorted into a silent scream as the light pierced the center of his chest. The pain was excruciating. He felt as if the very center of his being was burning, ripping apart at the seams, and he was powerless to stop it.

The searing sensation spread throughout his entirety. His bones felt to be on the brink of shattering, his blood seemed as if it was going to boil out of his skin, and his muscles felt as if they were being strained beyond their limits.

On top of the horrendous pain his body was experiencing, Ichigo's mind felt stretched almost to a breaking point as he could actually feel his inner world crumbling and churning in the chaotic waters he had left not so long ago.

The light began to intensify, no longer pulsing but pouring into him. Finally, with a loud _BOOM_, the light ended, with the last of the beam slamming into Ichigo's chest, forcing him onto his back as he gasped for air. The last conscious thought he had was of Urahara calling out his name.

**Kyoka POV**

She had never felt pain like this. She had felt emotional pain when forced to do unspeakable acts of treachery and being forsaken by her wielder, and physical pain when fighting the immensely powerful Ichigo...yet never this...this all-consuming, existence-tearing agony.

Why was this happening to her?

The answer was as cruel as her wielder. Sosuke had been getting not only distant from her, but increasingly cold and brutal for years. He constantly disregarded her and her counsel, as well as forced her into countless scenarios of murder, mutilation, and mental torture to people whom she knew were innocent.

Being a zanpakuto spirit, she was never afraid of battle, and certainly understood that life and death were inevitable pieces of the equation. She was also very well acquainted with brutality, but never to the extent that her wielder took it-even though he constantly used the guise of 'changing the world'.

However, the needless brutality and single-mindedness that bordered on obsessive madness made her wielder more akin to a murdering sociopath than to one who sought to change the world.

Yet, through it all, she had gone along, wanting to make sure that Sosuke had survived his many dangerous encounters. Kyoka knew he wasn't capable of listening to her anymore, yet she was not capable of abandoning him to die.

If she had had the capability amidst the incredible pain she was in at that particular moment, she would have coldly chuckled at the irony. She couldn't abandon him to die, but what about his intoxication by the power from the Hogyoku leading him to actually discard her? His mind truly was lost, it would seem, as she had become less than a tool to him.

In the midst of her agony and bitter thoughts, thoughts of the boy Sosuke was fighting-the one that had finally defeated them- began plaguing her already tortured consciousness. Ichigo Kurosaki was incredibly powerful, but what she saw and felt from him were something completely different than what Sosuke saw.

As she recalled what she had witnessed, a fierce longing began to build within her. A longing for acceptance, for communion...for...

**Flashback**  
_"Oddly enough, it seems that my right arm has fused with my zanpakuto as the conclusion to my evolution. Perhaps this is the natural form of the zanpakuto. However, I was able to find out through our clash of swords, that our evolutions are in different planes. If I want, I can shatter your blade with one stroke," Sosuke said with his usual arrogance._

_Though her relationship with her wielder was...existent at best, Kyoka relished the chance to defeat this boy, as he had been one of a few catalysts that had most forcefully driven Sosuke in his mad search for power._

_Though she was aware of his exploits and devotion to his friends, she knew that this young shinigami must be like all of the other arrogant and mindless bastards in Soul Society. How many of them had she seen use their zanpakutos the way she was now being used? Surely Ichigo Kurosaki was no different._

_As Kyoka felt herself be swung at Ichigo with all of her wielder's might, both she and he were shocked beyond words when the boy caught her with his bare hand. The idea that anyone could dodge, much less catch her when she was swung so hard was nigh impossible to grasp._

_However, the feelings that coursed through Kyoka at the moment the orange haired shinigami's hand touched her blade were unlike anything she'd ever experienced. The warmth, the devotion and determination-to not only his friends and family, but to Zangetsu as well- and the level of purity in his reiatsu poured through and made a shiver run through her blade. She felt saturated by his presence, and in that instant, she was able to see him in a completely different light._

_She knew that Sosuke was familiar with the fact that anyone touching her blade would be instantly unaffected by her illusions, yet he never took the time to see what those touches actually did to her. Those who felt her blade were like an open book to her, their souls and minds laid bare._

_Just as she had felt Gin's repressed rage at Sosuke's actions against his friend, his obsession with revenge, and later-as she pierced his chest-his regret at leaving the girl he tried to avenge behind, Kyoka experienced a wide range of emotions from Ichigo Kurosaki. What she couldn't get over, though, was the incredible warmth that emanated from his soul._

_'I have not felt warmth like this from Sosuke in well over one hundred years. This boy...Zangetsu is fortunate. A heart this pure is a miracle, especially considering what he's been through by Sosuke's hand. Sosuke has been driven to near madness by his lust for power, and I am no more than a mere tool. I can sense a darkness within him, but this boy is driven by love for others...by his will to protect...'_

_Kyoka was jarred out of her thoughts as Sosuke attempted-and failed-to kill Ichigo with kido, then she cringed as Zangetsu tore through the evolved body of her wielder. Though she held quite a bit of resentment towards her corrupted wielder-thus lessening her concern-due to their mockery of a merging, she felt the same physical pain he did._

_After a few moments of Sosuke talking to Ichigo, she felt a painful pulse emanate from him. She winced within the inner world as she felt the Hogyoku reluctantly activate once again. This 'evolution', though, was different. Kyoka shuddered in horror as she realized what was happening._

_As the Hogyoku began its work, she felt her blade forcefully taking on a much heavier taint of hollow powers. The foreign feeling was not only excruciating, but fiercely violating-much akin to rape-and she felt the last few bonds left between her and Sosuke weakening and almost all breaking._

_Even though she knew that his mind was too far gone, she couldn't help but scream in agony as she felt her 'self' nearly be taken over by the force of the Hogyoku._

_In her desperation, she screamed so loudly that her voice broke, "SOSUKE! Please, NO! Why are you trying to destroy me?! Come back to me Sosuke!"_

_No answer came as her last connection to her wielder was stretched so tightly that she knew it would soon break. Sosuke had become a monster, forcing the Hogyoku to mutilate his existence into the current winged form he now held, and as a result she now felt disgustingly saturated and tainted by the mindless hollow powers her wielder had called upon._

_After Sosuke had used some of the most incredibly powerful attacks she had ever witnessed, she fell silent in agonized awe of the boy...no, the man...for no boy could ever attain this level, that stood across from she and her wielder._

_Hearing his explanation, and seeing the results of his merger with Zangetsu, she wanted to scream in fury as she briefly assumed that the boy had also discarded his zanpakuto for the lure of more power. However, as she looked through Sosuke's eyes at the now god-like shinigami, she saw despair mixed in with the determination in the blood red eyes._

_'He...he merged with Zangetsu! He actually did it?!'_

_In that moment, she knew...she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this boy was knowingly sacrificing part of his soul to protect the lives of millions. More than that, she knew that he would not be doing this if he had even the slightest of alternatives, as she recalled the intense protectiveness within his reiatsu._

_Kyoka's thoughts were cut short as one word uttered from Ichigo Kurosaki brought about the single greatest bit of mortal agony she had ever experienced._

_"Mugetsu."_

**End Flashback**

Pain. It was everywhere. It was everything. It was all encompassing, overwhelming each and every possible sense that Kyoka could ever imagine. Her blade crumbling in Sosuke's hand, as well as his disgustingly arrogant words, now kindled within her a hatred she had never experienced.

Sosuke Aizen was rejoicing over the fact that she was being discarded, that she would die. Though his words were untrue, and the Hogyoku was _not_ in fact casting her out, she felt a surge of bitter fury that seemed to define his betrayal of her.

_How dare he?! I gave that bastard everything he ever wanted, and he rejoices when I am crumbling?! How could he do this? I...I...I HATE YOU SOSUKE AIZEN!'_

A loud boom interrupted her bitter thoughts, as she realized that they were now sealed together. Acutely aware of the enclosure, the thought of spending another second, let alone eternity, with the man that she now loathed with her entire being repulsed her, sending her fury to new heights.

It seemed, however, that the seal was purely for Sosuke's reiatsu as the sound of one of the most heart wrenching screams of agony she had ever heard came through the seal, echoing in the now dark inner world she was trapped in.

An abrupt silence was accompanied by the fast-fading reiatsu of Zangetsu, and Kyoka knew what had just happened. _'I understand your pain, Ichigo Kurosaki. I pray you soon find peace.'_

'_Peace...?'_ The word echoed in her mind. Kyoka could not help the intense longing that welled up within her at that word. The poor man out there, who had sacrificed part of his soul to defeat her wielder...she felt a sort of kinship with him. Both of their lives had been torn apart by a madman with dreams of godhood.

She knew they would both suffer in their loneliness, yet the more she thought about Ichigo, the greater her longing became. Why did they both have to suffer? She felt that she must be hallucinating in her pained state, as she could not stop the outlandish desire of them saving each other...of them coming together.

Kyoka's pain-riddled consciousness was again flooded by the memories of the warmth that had emanated from him. His passion, devotion, and his pure heart seemed to call to her at her most basic level and she realized- with vivid clarity- that she wanted him.

She desperately wanted to be his, to remember the feeling of being wanted and trusted. She wanted to feel his warmth saturate her blade again...to be used to protect instead of destroy. She wanted to feel at one with someone so pure that his touch alone could drive the pain away.

Kyoka winced as she heard another agonized scream. With this one, she could feel the severely weakened reiatsu still within Ichigo tinged with fury. He was bellowing out in frustration and pain, and Kyoka felt an overwhelming compulsion to respond. Her own mind began to attempt to push aside the pain and focus.

Soon though, Kyoka felt her mind beginning to tear from the excruciating mixture of pain and longing that seemed to be the substance and current definition of her existence. Her pain suddenly spiked, and she found herself screaming, _'ICHIGO! PLEASE, ICHIGOOOO!'_

Though she could not formulate an actual request, she continued to scream his name to the darkness around her. After a moment, she felt a large pulse shake the entire inner world where she was. Not deterred, she continued to scream for the young shinigami, the memory of his warmth now being the center of her universe.

As the pulsing continued to grow in intensity, Kyoka felt a familiar presence now in the inner world where she resided. Turning, she saw a hazy, glowing image of Ichigo standing before her. Before she could react, the image spoke, confusing her as the voice did not match the man.

**_"Kyoka, what is it that you desire?"_**

Hearing the voice, she stopped screaming and asked in a hoarse voice, _'H-Hogyoku?'_

The image of Ichigo blinked. Once again, it asked, **_"What is it that you desire?"_**

There was only one word she could say. One word she could think of. She couldn't explain it, nor could she deny it. This one word reverberated in her mind...'_Ichigo_'.

The image of said person simply nodded. Offering his hand, Hogyoku said, **_"Our thoughts are in accord. There will be no going back."_**

When Kyoka grasped his hand, the pulsing peaked, and a brilliant purple light engulfed both she and Hogyoku, shining so brightly that she had to close her eyes. She felt herself being pulled...pulled incredibly hard away from the inner world she resided in and the pain associated with it.

When she opened her eyes, Kyoka was amazed at the sight before her. Wherever she was, it was being demolished. She could see incredibly tall buildings being ripped to shreds and churned within what seemed to be an ocean.

In the midst of all of this, the purple light she had seen just moments ago began to grow brighter and brighter, consuming the chaos below. When the bright purple light was again all she could see, a loud BOOM rang out as she heard Hogyoku say, **_"Now, we start anew."_**


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: wow...I mean...wow. You guys are amazing! Thank you to each who showed so much love for ch 1! 109 faves already, tons of reviews, and more come in each day. Kinda puts the pressure on for ch 2, but here it is. As always: be gentle, read, review, but most of all...enjoy!**

**i don't own bleach.**

Ichigo awoke a few hours later in a slight daze. His eyes opened slightly as he realized that his cheek was resting against something hard and cold.

Memories of blinding pain, as well as of an equally blinding purple light started to flash and flicker in his vision. As Ichigo blinked furiously to clear his eyes, he was stunned by the scene that came into view.

Instead of seeing the devastated battlefield he had just been on, he found himself lying amongst what seemed to be ancient ruins. Many columns, some standing, some crumbling and fallen along with strewn fixtures of once-white stone made up the foundation. There was an ethereal feel to the seemingly once-majestic landscape, but what most struck Ichigo were the ruins' outermost surroundings.

The place where Ichigo now found himself, as he made his way to his feet, seemed to be a stone oasis in the midst of a vast cosmos. Pitch black space surrounded the ruins, only to be interrupted by the lights of thousands upon thousands of glittering stars. Beautiful swirls and ribbons of soft purple light also seemed to permeate the area, as well as extend far into the distance.

Cautiously making his way up to the top of a large staircase, Ichigo soon found himself faced with an even more breathtaking view. From beyond the platform that he had arrived at, he could see a gorgeous expanse of nothing but stars and the purple lights.

He found himself so taken by the sight, that he completely missed the figure standing at the edge of the ruins, facing out to the endless void.

_**"And here I thought you could not be less observant," **_a charming, almost musical voice said, laughing softly.

"Eh?", Ichigo said dumbly, quickly turning to the figure. As his gaze fell onto it, he quickly realized that the _it_ was in fact a _her_. An incredibly beautiful, instantly mesmerizing _her_.

Quickly assessing the wonder in front of him, Ichigo was again stunned. The woman in front of him was a good head shorter that he was and had a slim, but definitely feminine figure.

Her glossy, frosty-pink hair shimmered in the starlight, as most of it fell towards her right side, falling messily-but attractively-across her face and slightly over her brilliant sapphire blue eyes. The rest of her hair, which seemed to be slightly longer, fell gently to her left and curled softly at the ends.

Ichigo noted her white, body length, high-necked, sleeveless vest-like garment, which was only slightly fastened just under her bust. It fell open to the sides as it went down, revealing long, black boots that came above her knees and a rather short, jet black dress which gave Ichigo a generous view of the lily-white skin of her legs and a glimpse at the curves of her chest. Her arms were also covered by long black gloves which rose above her elbows.

Barely able to draw breath at the veritable goddess before him, Ichigo attention was eventually drawn to a sword at her hip with a jade green grip and golden, hexagonal guard. Something about the sword struck his memory, distracting his already distracted thoughts. _'Why is that blade so familiar?'_

_**"It would seem that you aren't completely unobservant after all,"**_ the woman said mischievously, angling her leg that was nearest the sword so that the soft white skin seemingly glowed in the light shining down on the cosmic oasis.

Blushing intensely, as he had just been caught ogling the beautiful woman, Ichigo quickly stuttered, "No no no! I...uh...no, I mean...I wasn't...wait! Who are you? Where the hell am I?", Ichigo asked, his embarrassment quickly making way for confusion.

**_"As far as the 'where', I understand your confusion. You have had much to claim your attention recently, and I am sure that you remember this place quite differently,"_** the woman began gently, looking Ichigo in the eye with her piercing blue gaze.

Kyoka Suigetsu knew that she had to speak carefully from here on. The moment that she had come into Ichigo's soul, she had found herself immersed in a powerful flow of his memories, showing her many instances and events in his life-even giving her the idea of teasing him for his highly amusing reactions.

However, Kyoka found that it was far more potent than any of the times she had ever come into contact with an adversary, or even when Ichigo had grasped her blade, thus giving her a deeper look into the man she desired to be bonded to.

Due to this contact with his subconscious, Kyoka was fully aware that while what she wanted to offer-the power to protect- is what Ichigo wanted more than anything, he would be facing no small amount of shock at the revelation.

_**"This is your inner world, Ichigo Kurosaki,"**_ she finished as she turned to look out at the stars, giving him time to digest the information.

"M-my inner world?", Ichigo asked in a whisper after a moment, unable to comprehend. He had no clue what was going on, however the loss of Zangetsu...that horribly painful separation...was still fresh in his mind, thus he was in no mood for riddles or pranks.

"Is this some kind of bad dream or sick joke? How can this be my inner world? There are no skyscrapers and besides, I lost all of my powers. I lost...I lost Zangetsu. How can I even have an inner world anymore?!", he asked, getting louder with each question. He couldn't help it, as having to admit-out loud-that he had lost Zangetsu was much more painful than he had imagined.

**_"Ah, that would be the question, wouldn't it? As far as the landscape goes, that would be a joint decision by myself and the...architect. As to your question of how you could have an inner world, that would be due to...my presence."_**

Kyoka was feeling her nerves strain as she continued to speak. After the severe gamut of pain and grief that she had experienced today, she was not sure how much more she could take. She knew what question and subsequent conversation was coming, and though she knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that she wanted Ichigo...the thoughts of doubt began to plague her.

_What if he refuses me? What if he casts me out?'_

Ichigo noticed that as the woman finished her last sentence, a wary, almost fearful look came upon her. The nervous frown marred the absolute beauty of her face, and for some reason unknown to him, Ichigo couldn't help but to try and think of some way to bring her smile back. However, one question was at the forefront of his mind...

"And who are you? If this is my inner world, you must be a zanpakuto spirit, right? What is your name?", Ichigo asked, not missing the weak smirk that lit the woman's lips, but did not reach her eyes.

"What is funny about wanting to know your name?", Ichigo asked, thoroughly confused.

**_"I am merely amused at the irony. I have been so desperately trying to get you to hear my name since coming here. I have yearned for this moment from the instant you first touched my blade, yet when you finally ask it of me, I cannot help but to be filled with fear,"_** the female spirit said as she slowly walked up to Ichigo, her eyes now rimmed with tears.

This was it...the critical moment. She was terrified of what his reaction would be. How could she not be? Not only did her dreams of sharing a soul with such an incredible being as Ichigo hang in the balance, but her actual existence was on the line as well. Looking up into his amber eyes, she could only silently plead to him in her thoughts.

_'Please, Ichigo. Please do not cast me aside. For so long now I have desired to experience the warmth of a soul like yours. Your heart is the home I have truly yearned for my entire existence. I have seen some of your memories and know that you do not shun many. However, I am terrified that you will cast me out of your soul because of whom I have served, and what I have done.'_

"Why should you be afraid? I'm the one with no clue as to what's going on here! I don't even know your name!", Ichigo said, frustrated at his ignorance and her seemingly unfounded fear. _'Why would she cry? I haven't done anything to her!_'

Ichigo hated it when girls cried. Not because he was unsympathetic, but due to the fact he rarely was able to help them stop. His protective nature made him always want to fix things, and crying girls were not something he could readily fix. He was starting to get even more frustrated when the woman finally sighed.

Taking a deep breath, she looked Ichigo in the eye. _**"Perhaps you will understand my fear when I tell you my name. There is a reason you recognized my blade. Ichigo Kurosaki, my name is...Kyoka Suigetsu."**_

Ichigo took an involuntary step back as she finished. This was not what he had expected to hear. He found himself even more confused as arguably the most feared zanpakuto was acting afraid of a now virtually powerless Ichigo? Something didn't add up.

_'She tells me she's Kyoka Suigetsu, and SHE is scared?'_

Vivid memories began to barrage Ichigo's consciousness. Memories of nearly being cut in two on top of Sokyoku Hill, as well as facing her blade just before he lost his powers. Those moments had been when he actually _had_ his powers, but now that he was...whatever he was...how could he possibly hope to defend himself?

He was slightly distracted from these thoughts as she seemed to wince with every memory he recalled.

Deciding to try for some answers to the enormous stream of questions overwhelming his mind, Ichigo nervously spluttered, "Why...how are you here? What's going on outside? I thought you were Aizen's zanpakuto? The last time I saw you...well...your blade, it was hurtling at my face in the hands of a monster."

_**"You mean, when you actually caught me?"**_, Kyoka laughed weakly, wiping a stray tear that had fallen. **_"Please, do not be anxious or afraid, Ichigo Kurosaki. I am not here as an adversary, and as far as what is happening outside, I do not know. You have been unconscious for quite a while._**

Unable to relax from his tensed position, Ichigo asked, "Then why are you here? The only reason I can think of for you to be here is to get revenge for your fallen partner. Still, if this is my inner world, then how did you even get here?"

Ichigo was feeling incredibly lost. Aizen's zanpakuto was in his transformed inner world telling him not to be anxious. If he weren't so worried about dying here, he would have laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

Kyoka, hearing both his statements and his thoughts, visibly bristled at the assumption. Though she was scared of his reactions, and still fighting tears, she couldn't help her scowl and narrowed eyes as she snapped,**_ "I no longer have any association with that...that...creature! He treated me as no more than a spare piece of metal, fit only to obey his whims. You heard him yourself, he rejoiced when my blade crumbled! I am no longer Sosuke Aizen's zanpakuto, nor am I in any way attached to him."_**

"How is that even possible?!", Ichigo exclaimed. "You're claiming that you're no longer Aizen's zanpakuto, and you're here in what is supposed to be my inner world? What happened to my original inner world? What exactly is going on? I need straight answers!".

Ichigo was getting frustrated with all of the revelations, as well as being increasingly bothered by his ignorance of why she was near crying. What was the bottom line?

Kyoka knew that now was the time to give Ichigo the truth. All of it. Now was the moment she truly feared. Nodding, she said, **_"Very well, Ichigo Kurosaki. I will show you everything, exactly as it happened."_**

Walking slowly up to him, she slowly reached her hands to his face, wanting to share the actual memory with Ichigo. However, when he blatantly recoiled from her touch, she couldn't stop the rush of tears and small sob that escaped.

Quickly realizing that she was not trying to harm him, Ichigo immediately felt his heart clench. He berated himself for instantly assuming that her will and Aizen's were the same. She had done nothing to threaten him, though he knew she was aware that she could easily overpower him. While he couldn't completely quell his trepidation, her reaction tore painfully at his heart.

He had had enough experience with his inner hollow's attempts to take over, as well as Zangetsu's reluctance to teach him the Final Getsuga Tensho, to know that she was an independent spirit, not necessarily a slave to Aizen's will.

Looking down at her, his heart again clenched at the fear and sadness in her sapphire eyes. While he had not been comfortable being touched since his mother's death, his resolve crumbled at the beautiful woman's forlorn expression. Slowly reaching down, he tentatively grasped her hands in his, bringing them up to his face.

"I'm sorry. I just...I have to admit that I'm a little nervous here," Ichigo said, trying to explain and protect her feelings.

Looking up once more into his deep brown eyes, Kyoka again reached her fingertips to his face. Lightly touching his skin, she weakly smiled as she once again felt the warmth that now defined her very existence. Blinking away her tears, she said, **"_I understand. Please, allow me to show you the events that transpired to bring us here."_**

"How do I know that this isn't one of your illusions?", Ichigo immediately asked, unable to help his suspicions.

**_"You've never seen my release, and I am within your soul. Please, do not be afraid. We truly desire to be here."_**

Ichigo blinked. _'Us? We?'_

Before he could voice his question, Kyoka's fingertips pressed more firmly into his face, and he gasped loudly as a flood of memories rushed into his mind. He quickly realized that he was witnessing her perspective and feeling everything she experienced in his and Aizen's battle.

Ichigo felt himself wincing as he felt her pain from his strikes, and at her anger towards him for Aizen's obsession. However, he felt his heart beat erratically and warm within his chest as 'they' experienced Ichigo catching her blade. The warmth she had experienced from him...the desire it created within her shook him.

However the warmth was short lived, as his fury skyrocketed when he felt her revulsion and the overwhelming force of the 'evolution' that Aizen had subjected her to. The pain, humiliation and degradation she had felt at being so blatantly...so forcefully violated and disregarded almost made Ichigo vomit.

Ichigo found himself desperately wanting to find Aizen again and rip him apart as he continued to feel the agonizing pain and disgust from Kyoka's memories, but his fury soon changed again, now to tearful agony as he experienced her heart wrenching pain firsthand when her blade crumbled in her then-joyous wielder's hand.

Ichigo was about to break the connection, unable to take anymore, when he heard his own screams through the memories. He vividly remembered those moments, and the pain that he had felt. He even felt Kyoka wincing at his remembered pain, but what he wasn't prepared for was Kyoka's responses to his bellows.

Her cries to Ichigo moved him. They touched his heart in a way that he could not express, but he then knew that this was no illusion. The sheer desire that permeated the very essence of the memories was inescapable and quickly took his breath away.

When the memory showed how Kyoka began desperately crying out his name to the darkness around, Ichigo's heart felt as if it were going to burst and break at the same moment. He was about to speak when he was once again distracted by the content within the memory. Ichigo's mind froze when he saw a shimmering version of himself walk up to Kyoka in the darkness.

Ichigo was stunned to the very center of his being when the memory revealed Kyoka whispering, "**_Hogyoku_**?"

His mind went almost completely blank, as the reason for the Winter War...the power behind the madness...was not only speaking, but was agreeing with Kyoka's desire..._for him._

After showing Ichigo the bright and violent departure and arrival from Aizen's soul to Ichigo's, Kyoka let go of his face. Facing at the ground, she was unable to look him in the eye after what she had just had him witness. So much was riding on his reaction, and the pressure was getting to be impossible to bear.

_'This is it. Could he ever accept me? Surely he understands that I could never...'_

Her thoughts were completely halted, though, as she felt Ichigo roughly grab her hands with his, holding them tightly. Her eyes widened in fear, not of being hurt, but that Ichigo had finally had enough and was going to reject her. Preparing her mind, she forced herself to lift her head.

She was confused, however, when she finally looked up at him and saw blazing determination within his amber eyes, and an incredibly deep scowl on his lips. Her surprise grew even greater, because when he spoke, his voice was thick with emotion.

"Kyoka Suigetsu, I am not even going to pretend to understand what all of this means. While we will figure it all out, you need to know...Kyoka...that you will _never_ go through anything like that again. I don't care what it takes, I will never allow you to come to such pain and grief again. I may not know you yet, nor do I know how I can, but I swear...I swear to you that somehow I will protect you."

Kyoka once again felt herself become completely saturated by Ichigo's presence and passion as there again was that indescribable warmth that poured into her from where he touched her.

While she could not possibly doubt his conviction, nor his belief in his words, she had to admit that she was not prepared for the intensity of his response. She gasped in surprise as the waves of reiatsu flowing from him were almost intoxicating.

_'H-He wants to protect me?! Does this mean that he could actually come to accept me and to allow our partnership? The way he looks at me, I...I... '_

Her heart beat erratically within her. Within Ichigo's reiatsu, she sensed a fierce protectiveness, bordering on a sense of possessiveness. Knowing what she had discovered about his protective nature, his claim to her seemed to only make sense.

His rich, amber eyes bored into hers, seemingly trying to convey the truth of his words. This feeling was incredibly foreign, but more wonderful than she could describe. Unable to stop herself, Kyoka grabbed Ichigo's face and kissed him roughly, passionately.

Kyoka poured everything that she was into the kiss. She could think of no other response, as the man with the purest soul that she had ever encountered had just vehemently promised to protect her.

Even though he thought he had no powers, even though he had just met her, he still cared about protecting... _'Me_'. The beautiful spirit felt her body, seemingly of its own accord, press closely to Ichigo's as she deepened the kiss.

She had never had much experience or desire in terms of romance, nor did she consider this a declaration of love. Kyoka Suigetsu had simply been overwhelmed by the level of passion and depth of heart of this incredible, impossible young shinigami, and felt compelled to respond.

Needless to say, Ichigo was beyond shocked, and his mind was on overload. It seemed that he was now in possession of both the sword and item that led the enemy forces in the Winter War. Not only that, but this zanpakuto...this unbelievably beautiful woman...was kissing him as if her life depended on it. This was Ichigo's first kiss, and...'_wow_.'

Breaking the kiss and meeting his eyes, Kyoka could bear it no more. She knew what she wanted. She knew that she desired to be wielded by Ichigo, and to be bound to his soul for the rest of their existence. Kyoka wanted to give him a chance to fulfill his oath to her, but also the opportunity for her to help keep him from harm and to fulfill his desire to protect.

She reached up again, cupping his face with her hands. Tears formed again as she softly pleaded, **_"Ichigo Kurosaki, wield me. You do not have to be powerless. Your and Zangetsu's sacrifice does not have to mean you no longer have the ability to protect. Open your soul to me, and I will share mine with you. I know that we just met, but if you accept me...if you trust in me, my partnership and powers will be yours."_**

**"I wish for you to accept me as well,"** a voice called from behind them before Ichigo could respond, startling both.

Turning, Ichigo and Kyoka saw the same hazy version of Ichigo from Kyoka's memories materialize near them. Knowing she would need to explain to the likely shell shocked Ichigo, she introduced the ghostly figure.

**_"Ichigo, this is Hogyoku."_**

"W-Wait! This is who you meant when you said 'we' and 'us'?", Ichigo exclaimed. Yes, he had seen Hogyoku in the memories he just experienced, but the thought of it...of him...as a sentient being, here in his soul and asking to be accepted, was hard to comprehend.

**"Yes, she was referring to her and myself. I understand that it is hard to comprehend me as a sentient being, given that you heard Sosuke Aizen only speak to me once, and you were quite otherwise occupied. Before your battle with him, I was simply referred to as 'the' or 'his' Hogyoku, and as only having a will that was subservient to his desires,"** the hazy image of Ichigo said in a dry monotone.

**"Neither he, nor even Kisuke Urahara ever seemed to fully understand that I have an awareness and intelligence of my own, not just a will to be bent. It has really been quite bothersome, to be honest. However, the fact remains that both Kyoka Suigetsu and I wish to be bound with you."**

Ichigo was stunned. He had to admit, he had never considered the possibility of the...of Hogyoku's consciousness. Due to the explanations he had heard, he simply saw Hogyoku as a collection of souls and as a weapon with a vague will based upon its bearer's desires.

What exactly did it mean for Ichigo that these two separate entities wanted to inhabit his soul? Would this pretty much turn him into Aizen? So many random, inexplicable and irrational questions were bombarding his mind that he found it hard to make sense of his train of thought.

Hogyoku spoke again, his monotonous voice taking a slight edge, **"No, Ichigo Kurosaki, you will not 'turn into Aizen'. Both of us are now independent entities, desiring to be bound to you. Your heart, your soul is the home that Kyoka deeply desires. I find those to be desirable traits, but you also have had the power, determination, and resolve that I require of a bearer."**

"If that's the case, why did you serve Aizen, or why did you leave him?", Ichigo asked. He understood _that_ they wanted to be bound to him, but what was still unclear was _why_, as they seemed to be simply trading one wielder for another. He felt a little more sure about Kyoka's reasoning. The memories she had shared were incredibly potent.

But why did Hogyoku wish to change allegiances? Was it because Ichigo defeated Aizen? It seemed unlikely, yet he could think of no better reasoning. Did that mean that he could be abandoned, should he meet a stronger foe?

**"Again, I am a sentient being, Ichigo Kurosaki. The reason I was under Aizen's control was due to the fact that he forced me awake and was able to subject me to his will while I was still awakening. Thanks to the enormous amount of reiatsu you unleashed in your final attack, I was able to not only fully awaken, but to reclaim control of my mind and help Kyoka escape. Leaving Sosuke Aizen and requesting to be bound to you is a conscious choice that we made out of desire for a union with you, knowing full well the consequences. This is not something that can be undone. By us consciously choosing you, we are agreeing to an eternal bond."**

Kyoka stepped closer to him, regaining his attention. Returning one hand to his cheek, her sapphire eyes bore deeply into his. **_"Ichigo, we want to be a part of you. We did not forsake Sosuke in search of simply a stronger host, or of a more capable wielder. We left him because he had forcibly subdued Hogyoku and had forsaken me. We both want you. A heart, a soul like yours is the home that we've desired before we even met you. Once you touched my blade, I was able to see into your soul, and the choice became clear. So again, Ichigo Kurosaki, I ask...wield me."_**

**"Accept ****_us_****,"** Hogyoku added. **_"_****We know that our union would be quite badly received by the rest of the shinigami, and could create dire consequences, but we will protect you from harm and give you the power to protect the ones you love. Let us be yours."**

Ichigo was still shocked, but no longer confused. The two spirits had been turned into slaves of Aizen's will, and sought a means to live an existence that they _chose_. The fact that they intentionally sought him, chose him...it was humbling.

_'It doesn't have to be the end. I...I can regain shinigami powers. I will deal with the consequences as they come.'_

However, one thing had to be clarified...

"No," he said, causing a shocked expression on both spirits' faces, followed quickly by Kyoka's face falling in defeat. Ichigo quickly grabbed her hand that was falling from his face. Holding it gently, he softly began to speak.

"Kyoka, Hogyoku, you are not possessions to be had, nor taken. You will not trade one owner for another. Though this is my soul, I am willing to _share_ it with you...", he turned his head, looking at Hogyoku, "both of you. You are both offering me the power to continue to protect, which I will gladly accept. I only require that you treat me as your partner, not an owner."

He turned back as he heard Kyoka gasp lightly. **_"You...you will accept us?"_**, she whispered, sapphire eyes wide.

"Yes," Ichigo responded gently. Again he was caught by surprise by another searing kiss from Kyoka.

As she let his face go, he could see different tears streaming down her beautiful face. Turning, he saw Hogyoku standing there with his expression still passive.

**"I am grateful, Ichigo Kurosaki, but I will not be kissing you,"** the hazy version of Ichigo said dryly, causing Ichigo to splutter and stammer as he blushed deep red.

He stopped spluttering, however, as he heard soft laughter. The laughter was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard, and he turned to see a smiling Kyoka still laughing. Unable to help himself, Ichigo returned the smile.

**_"Are you truly ready to accept us, Ichigo Kurosaki?"_**, Kyoka asked.

"I am, but what does 'truly accepting' you actually mean?", he asked, immediately grimacing in understanding as Kyoka slowly drew her blade from her sheathe in response and Hogyoku's fingertips turned bright purple.

**_"While this will not hurt here, you will not feel so pleasant when your body awakes. You have gone through such traumatic strain today, that your body will need time to recover your strength and reiatsu."_**

**"Are you ready, Ichigo Kurosaki?",** Hogyoku asked.

Taking a deep breath, the young shinigami nodded as Kyoka pressed the tip of her blade at his heart, while Hogyoku's bright fingertips touched the center of his chest. In the seconds before they pressed forward, he added, "And please, call me Ichigo."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto grunted his thanks as captain Unohana finished her healing kido. Though his left arm was gone for good, he still felt well enough to collect the present captains, as they would need to coordinate soon to assess their troops and order a withdrawal back into Soul Society. However, the first thing he wanted to do was to visit the site of Aizen and Ichigo Kurosaki's final confrontation.

_'That boy laid his life on the line for Soul Society, defeating our greatest enemy in over a thousand years with his own hands. Hopefully he has survived this battle.'_

As he appeared on the outskirts of the destroyed landscape, Yamamoto turned towards where he sensed two reiatsu signatures. Watching intently, he was slightly surprised to see Kisuke Urahara with Ichigo on his shoulder, carrying the boy away from the battlefield.

"Kisuke Urahara," Yamamoto called out, "what is the condition of the boy? Did he survive?"

As the blonde former captain looked up, his face seemed to be straining to keep his normal careless facade up while he took in the multitude of captains that had just appeared behind the Soutaichou. _'What has happened to cause this reaction, I wonder?'_

"He is alive. Exhausted, but alive. He has defeated Aizen, who has been sealed and is awaiting judgment," Urahara answered with a slight edge.

_'I need to get Ichigo out of here, now. If what I think just happened these few hours ago, happened, he can't be near any shinigami when he comes to. After what all has come to light about the Hogyoku...they would surely kill him.'_

"Why is his reiatsu so weak? Was he injured?", the Soutaichou asked in an attempt to ferret out what was bothering the enigmatic former captain. He knew that he wasn't getting the full story, and wanted to make sure he had all the information that he needed.

"Not by Aizen. Kurosaki-san used a sacrificial technique in his battle. In exchange for temporarily becoming Getsuga itself, he sacrificed his shinigami powers. While he still has remnants now, what little he has will soon be gone."

Though the words still burned, Kisuke wanted everyone believing that Ichigo's powers were gone until he could figure out what exactly had happened a few hours ago. While Isshin had done the same technique with his zanpakuto so many years ago, he obviously did not face what his son was now up against. Ichigo not only had to fear the source of his possible new powers, but Soul Society's reaction to them.

Yamamoto's eyes opened. _'So the legends were true. The Getsu zanpakuto were rumored to have sacrificial techniques that merged both wielder and zanpakuto, giving the holder unimaginable, yet temporary power. This boy truly has sacrificed much for the realms and all over a deluded brat with an incredibly dangerous sword and that accursed stone!'_

Yamamoto frowned. Such devices were severely detrimental to the peace and security of Soul Society. In his millennia of leadership, he had seen many good men and women corrupted by the lure of such godly powers. Invariably and inevitably, the promise of ascendance overrode reason and created such destructive forces as Aizen.

_'Though I cannot say I have ever encountered a power such as that Hogyoku. What a dangerous device. We will have to ascertain its status soon. It must be taken from Aizen and brought into the custody of the Gotei 13, destroyed if possible.'_

Nodding to acknowledge Urahara's words, Yamamoto said, "I see. Do you think that he will awaken soon? I, along with the other captains who are here, wish to speak with him before departing to the Seireitei."

Urahara tensed. His mind kept reiterating to him that Ichigo's awakening could very well be an event that needed to happen away from the eyes of Soul Society. Setting the younger shinigami gently onto the ground, Kisuke answered, "It's hard to say, Soutaichou. He has been unconscious for several hours now. I need to get him to his home where he can rest. His family will be able to take care of him."

"Damn right we will! My son will be just fine under my care", a loud voice boomed. Turning, both men saw a clearly exhausted Isshin along with Yoruichi, walking towards where Urahara stood over Ichigo.

Yamamoto, had he had his other arm, would have pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Isshin had always been a boisterous and colorful character, and it seemed that time had not dimmed his personality in the least. '_I'm getting too old for this nonsense.'_

"Why am I not surprised to see you alive?", the elder shinigami muttered. To be honest, none of the revelations he was experiencing were that alarming. It would make sense for Ichigo to be Isshin's son. The last name would of course be changed if hiding, and the incredible resemblance to other members of the Shiba clan was indisputable.

He quickly decided that it was of no consequence. Much more pressing matters needed tending to. Sighing, Yamamoto finally said, "Very well. Have him report to me once he has recovered. I wish to convey our gratitude before our world is lost to him."

Sighing quietly in relief, Urahara called out, "Of course, Soutaichou. He would never seek it out, but I am sure your gratitude would be appreciated."

As both parties began turning away, Kisuke was about to quietly warn Isshin about what had previously transpired when a massive wave of reiatsu exploded outward from Ichigo's still unconscious body, shrouding it in dust and an incredible amount of purple-tinged, black reiatsu.

When the dust finally settled, everyone gathered was shocked as Ichigo stood facing away from them in what was the middle of the explosion. While they noticed that he was no longer clothed in the regular shinigami clothes he had just been wearing, what he was garbed in now was not what they were used to.

Ichigo stood before them in a long, form-fitting, jet-black, hooded cloak. The black material stretched all the way to his feet, covering his entire length, yet showing off his powerful physique. The hood was up, shielding his face completely from view, yet what was one of the more peculiar things about the situation, was what was missing.

When he had his powers previously, the most noticeable thing about Ichigo (besides his hair) was the massive, body-length cleaver that was his zanpakuto. Quite often it would be the first topic that enemies would comment on.

Yet, the sword that he now bore was a brightly gleaming, silver blade with a gold, circular guard over a purple threaded grip. Ichigo also carried this sword differently. Instead of hefting over his shoulder as he did with Zangetsu, this smaller, thinner blade was held out low and to the side, giving Ichigo an all around ominous appearance.

"I-Ichigo...is that you?", Kisuke asked nervously as Yamamoto and the rest of the captains had returned and were watching. The power from the reiatsu explosion-though slowly decreasing- was still in the air, making it hard to breathe.

As he stood there, though, he quickly realized that it wasn't from the explosion, but from Ichigo himself._ 'I've never felt such a dense reiatsu before, even from the Soutaichou. It feels like I'm trying to breathe under water!'_

As Ichigo began to turn, all present gasped loudly at what they now beheld. Though his eyes were still shrouded by his hood, the pitch black cloak formed a deep V, exposing his muscular chest.

Nobody was able to notice his build, however, as what had created the gasps was a brilliant, purple orb in the center of the exposed chest. Around the orb were bluish-purple veins reaching out in every direction, disappearing under the cloak.

Trying to take a step towards his father and mentors, the group had to rush forward to catch him as Ichigo stumbled to one knee, suddenly gasping loudly.

As he knelt, now panting for breath after the enormous strain his body had been through all day, he felt incredibly fatigued. The reiatsu from his merger was dropping quickly, leaving him feeling drained.

"What the hell happened to you, son?!", Isshin exclaimed as shock and concern emanated from him. _'How the hell did the Hogyoku get into him? And what is the deal with his zanpakuto? Zangetsu is gone. He has to be after the final Getsuga Tensho, so who is that that he is wielding?'_

"Breathe, Kurosaki-san. Are you alright?", Urahara asked quietly, a rare note of panic in his voice. _'Dammit, they saw. There is no getting out of this now...'_

Before Ichigo could reply, a gravelly voice behind him growled, "Ichigo Kurosaki, what have you done?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tier was dreaming.

She didn't know where she was, or how long she had been unconscious, but she knew that she was still that way as what she was hearing could only be a dream.

'_Be quiet, you retarded chimp! Do you want to draw all of the shinigami here with your fat mouth?!'_

It was still a pleasant dream. While sometimes annoying, she knew she would miss her fraccion's bickering when she awoke.

_'Who are you calling a retarded chimp, you overgrown gorilla?! And what about your yelling?! If anything, the shinigami will probably wonder who the she-man is raising so much hell!'_

This was a really specific dream, it seemed. Tier was beginning to be confused as she felt faint pricks of consciousness.

_'Both of you will get us discovered and killed. It is poor repayment for the incredible kindness this girl is showing us to stand there yelling like a bunch of primates.'_

_'Sung-sun, you bitch! Who asked for your opinion anyways?!'_

Their voices, they sounded too clear to be a dream...

Opening her eyes, Tier was shocked to see a bright orange light above her. Turning her head, it seemed to be a dome of some sort. Blinking a couple times to clear her vision, her thoughts were interrupted by a pair of shouts.

"Mistress Harribel! You're awake!"

Turning her head towards the noise, her eyes grew impossibly wide as she saw the faces of her fraccion staring at her with huge smiles. Her attention was drawn away, though, as the orange light faded and disappeared, accompanied by a gentle voice saying, "She is completely healed."

Harribel heard Sung-sun speak from behind her sleeve, "We thank you. You saved her life."

Before she could speak, Tier found herself suddenly surrounded by her fraccion, Apacci and Mila Rose grasping her hands and Sung-sun kneeling in front of her. While she was incredibly relieved at their safety, she was also incredibly confused. "Y-You're alive? I saw you all burned by the shinigami commander."

"We were so worried, Harribel-sama! We woke up after this girl healed us and couldn't find you. After we investigated the massive explosion, we brought her here in hopes of finding you. What happened? You were barely alive!", Apacci said so fast that Tier almost missed it.

"Calm down, you little monkey! She just woke up and you're trying to destroy her mind with your stupid prattling!", Mila Rose shouted.

Before either could retort, Sung-sun quickly quieted them as she softly said, "We are quite glad to see you alive and well, Harribel-sama."

Nodding, she replied, "And I am very relieved to see you all whole and well."

Turning to the orange-haired girl who had been kneeling behind them silently, Harribel looked her in the eyes and softly said, "Thank you, Orihime Inoue. Though you received nothing but abuse at the hands of my kind, you saved not only the lives of my fraccion, but mine as well. I am in your debt."

Orihime lightly blushed and began quickly waving her hands in front of her, talking even faster than Apacci had, "Nonono! That is not necessary! They were hurt and I was able to help. They were desperate to make sure that you were ok as well. I just don't like seeing people hurt. You never did anything to me in Hueco Mundo and I have no grudge against any of you!"

Taking a deep breath, she slowed down and much more quietly said, "Now that you are all healed, I want to go check on Kurosaki-kun. His battle with Aizen ended a while ago and I want to see that he's alright."

Harribel's eyes widened. _'Kurosaki-kun? Could she mean...Ichigo Kurosaki? He survived?!'_

"Do you mean Ichigo Kurosaki? Did he survive the battle?", Tier voiced her thoughts, wonder and concern clearly evident in her voice.

Orihime felt a shiver of apprehension. _'How does she know about that? She couldn't possibly know Kurosaki-kun...unless Aizen had reported about him to the Espada.'_

"Y-Yes, he defeated Aizen, who was to be sealed. I felt his reiatsu after the battle, and I can still barely feel it now. Its really weak, but it's there."

Harribel was in shock.

He did it.

He actually did it. She didn't know what to think about the situation. Stretching her senses, she faintly picked up on the vaguely familiar reiatsu that she had felt in Hueco Mundo. It wasn't the same, but traces of it triggered her memory. _'He's still alive, but I remember him saying that he would lose his powers. It seems, either way I will be unable to know him...'_

Though she was immensely relieved that her fraccion were alive and well, she felt a pang of sadness over the idea of yet again losing a chance to know this miraculous young shinigami. _'He is alive, though. At least he didn't have to sacrifice everything, though he seemed willing.'_

"It is good that he survived. I witnessed his battle with Aizen, however I lost consciousness shortly after Ichigo Kurosaki's final attack. After witnessing his sacrifice, I must confess myself to be...glad...of his survival."

The four women around Harribel stared at her in shock. Though they found her near the site of the battle, and had assumed she had seen it, they did not expect to hear her speak of the young shinigami so. The fraccion could understand her connection to his sacrifice, but they had never heard her say she was _glad_ of anything.

Orihime was staring open mouthed. Had she really just heard a hollow, the Tres Espada no less, say that she was glad that Kurosaki-kun survived? The shock was short lived, however, as all five women gasped at the monstrous amount of reiatsu that had just exploded near where they were.

"It's him," Tier whispered. She stared in the distance at the wave of black reiatsu that stretched to the sky. A small bit of hope awoke within her as she faintly recognized the reiatsu. It was very different from what she remembered, but she could still tell who it belonged to. There were several shinigami captains nearby, from what she could sense, but she had to see.

"Girls, come. We are going."

"Hai, Harribel-sama," all three answered in unison.

Briefly glancing at the young healer, Tier again said, "thank you," before disappearing in the soft static of a sonido.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Ichigo Kurosaki, what have you done?", Yamamoto growled as he took in the sight of the recently awakened shinigami.

'_Yet another one lost to the lure of more power,'_ he thought. Though he could not deny his disappointment, he would not allow a cycle of trading one monster for another to begin. Though the boy sacrificed much for the sake of the realms, that did not give him a claim to the most dangerous item he had ever encountered.

Still short of breath, Ichigo replied through pants. "I simply...accepted...the power to...continue protecting."

"By taking the device that inspired an entire war?! Because of your service, I will give you one chance to relinquish the Hogyoku, otherwise I will be required to remove it by force."

"I can't. It is a part...of my soul now," Ichigo replied. This had gone much worse than anticipated. While he didn't expect it to be received well, he thought he would at least be given a chance. If they reacted this way to Hogyoku, what would happen if they knew about Kyoka?

"**_You cannot afford naïveté any longer, Ichigo,"_** Kyoka said in his mind. _**"Accepting us was bound to have consequences. I am sorry, but it does not appear that the shinigami will accept our union."**_

"Hold on a second, Yama-jii," Isshin called out. "He just saved not only you and your captains' asses, but likely the soul king's as well, not to mention Karakura town and all of Soul Society! Hasn't he at least earned a chance to defend himself?"

Isshins exclamation generated lots of murmurs and chatter from the captains behind Yamamoto.

"Yama-jii, are we not going to even give him a chance to explain?", captain Ukitake asked before being cut off.

Finally having caught his breath, Ichigo yelled, "What the hell is your problem?! How is it that you don't mind me giving up my powers and risking my life to save you all from a traitor from _your_ ranks, yet I cannot accept a way to retain shinigami powers?!"

"Silence!", the elder shinigami bellowed. "This device is too dangerous to be left intact. I gave you the chance to surrender it willingly, and you refused. You have decided to try and keep a hold on such a corrupted and corrupting power. I truly regret that it has come to this, Ichigo Kurosaki, but the safety of Soul Society and the living world are far more important than one man."

Lifting his sword, he called out, "_Reduce all creation to ash, Ryujin Jakka!_" As Yamamoto finished speaking, a massive wall of flames erupted skyward, forcing the group back several yards. Isshin, Yoruichi and Kisuke were about to jump back in when the other captains appeared halfway between them and Ichigo.

"I'm sorry, but we can't let you interfere. Yama-jii won't kill him, he just wants to get the Hogyoku out," Shunsui Kyoraku called out across the distance. Though he was preventing them from joining the fight, all three of the former captains saw the look of regret on his face.

Ichigo was getting nervous as he knew Yamamoto was preparing to attack. Before he could panic, Hogyoku spoke up, **"We will help protect you, Ichigo, however we do not have the strength right now to fight a prolonged battle. We need to find a means of escape. The commander may be wounded, but he is still going to be strong..."**

Hogyoku was cut off as Yamamoto raised his sword to strike. Acting on instinct, Ichigo raised his own blade to block the strike. As the blades connected, Ichigo felt his knees threaten to buckle. Using both hands to try to force the blade off, Yamamoto surprised him as he raised a leg and viciously kicked Ichigo in the chest, sending him tumbling.

Raising up to one knee, Ichigo frowned as he coughed up blood. _'Dammit, that hurt. He has to realize that I won't back down. I'm not going to run with my tail between my legs. He's going to learn that he doesn't own me!'_

**"I have already told you. We do not have the strength for a prolonged battle. Pride will not serve you well here, Ichigo."**

_'Don't have the strength for a prolonged battle?! What choice do we have? We have nowhere to run, and no one we can turn to!'_

**_"Release me, Ichigo. You have no way to use my illusions yet, but releasing me could give us a mental edge. We just need enough to find a way out,_**" Kyoka said calmly. Had he known her better, he would have detected the undercurrent of stress in her voice.

Ichigo was slightly frustrated. _'I already told you both! There is no way out of...' _Ichigo was quickly cut off.

**_"RELEASE MY BLADE! Don't you DARE take unnecessary risks! I will not allow your doubts to put us all in danger. I was just accepted into the soul I've always desired, AND I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO GET YOURSELF KILLED BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO STUBBORN TO LISTEN!"_**

Ichigo cringed, his free hand grabbing the side of his head as Kyoka shrieked in his mind. Her possessive tone and words left no room for debate. However, before he could call her release, Yamamoto used his distraction to roughly knock Ichigo back to where his father and mentors were with a violent sword slash.

Groaning as he rose to his feet, his grimace was unnoticeable, as his face was still hidden by his hood. Turning to look at the three former captains, he whispered to them, "You all need to close your eyes for a moment. You'll know when it's ok to look."

Surprised at their actual compliance, Ichigo turned and faced the approaching Soutaichou. He knew that his life was going to permanently change after these words, yet he vowed to regret nothing. Holding his blade upside down, he took a deep breath and called out, "_Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu!"_

While he had no idea of what to really expect of this release, Ichigo was somewhat shocked at what happened. At the sound of glass breaking, he was able to see a faint shimmer the air, settling as far as he could see in any direction. However, as soon as he uttered those words, he felt a large drain on his reiatsu.

Though he was surprised, the look on the faces of all present showed extreme shock and horror. "Oh shit," he heard his dad mutter.

Yamamoto's eyes widened. '_Not only did he take the Hogyoku, but he took Aizen's zanpakuto as well? It looks like we have just swapped one monster for another. It is a shame for one so young to become so blinded by power.'_

"Ichigo Kurosaki, you have crossed a line that cannot be uncrossed. I was willing to settle for a removal of the Hogyoku and let you live, but what you have done is unforgivable. While you have my gratitude for your role in the war, and my sympathy for what you had sacrificed...I cannot overlook this. Such an act is treason against Soul Society, and your life is now forfeit."

Ichigo gasped as the older shinigami disappeared, only to reappear in front of him. Acting on instinct, Ichigo jumped back, yet not far enough as he felt the searing hot blade of Ryujjin Jakka slice through the skin on his chest all the way down to his hip.

Weakly shunpoing back, Ichigo was again panting for breath as blood quickly escaped from his wound. He watched as Yamamoto walked slowly, but steadily towards him. They were quite a ways away from the rest of the shinigami present, who were now struggling to keep his father and mentors at bay, and he knew that escape was impossible.

Fatigue was clouding his mind. The strain of all he had been through, as well as from blood loss, was finally catching up to him. '_Kyoka, Hogyoku...I'm sorry. I don't know if we can make it through this. I truly wish we could have come to know each other and truly be bonded. The only consolation I can give you, is that we will go out with a bang,_' he said as he gripped Kyoka's blade tightly.

He felt warmth flow into his hands from the blade, as well as a warming sensation within his chest.

**_"We are with you til the end, Ichigo. While our chances are not ideal, do not give up. You never have before, and I do not expect you to now."_**

**"Do not lose your resolve, Ichigo,"** was all Hogyoku said.

As he gathered as much of his reiatsu as he could for what would likely be his last attack, he was shocked to feel a huge burst of unfamiliar reiatsu, as well as hear a woman's voice call out, '_Cascada_!'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As she made her way to the source of the familiar reiatsu, Tier made sure to mask any and all traces of hers, ordering her fraccion to do the same.

Coming out of a sonido directly behind a large range of stones, she saw a tall man with a black hood standing in the midst of several shinigami captains, and a few people with high reiatsu but no haoris as she peeked around the edge of the stones. She couldn't hear them, but could see them arguing.

"Harribel-sama, what are we doing so close to the shinigami?", Apacci whispered. She and Mila Rose knew better than to argue now, this close to the enemy. If the commander alone could take them down, the group assembled would have no trouble at all.

"Quiet," she whispered, staring ahead. Tier could not be bothered now...not when she was so close. _'I cannot help it, I have to know.'_

As the hooded man turned, she saw a small shock of orange hair peeking out beneath the hood.

"It's him," she whispered again, and again stunning her fraccion. Tier frowned, however, at the warm feeling coursing through her. It was foreign, and therefor not to be trusted. Disregarding that for the moment, she could not deny the relief that she felt, seeing him alive.

However, her relief turned to dread as she saw the commander draw his sword on a clearly weakened Ichigo. When she saw him get knocked back several yards, she quickly turned to her fraccion.

"I'm going to help him. Do not show yourselves until I give word. When I do, I want you to follow any order I give you instantly, and without question, understood?", Tier whispered.

"B-But Harribel-sama...", Mila Rose began quietly.

"Understood?", Harribel whispered again, this time with a bit of steel in her voice and her teal eyes narrowing.

"Hai, Harribel-sama. We won't fail you," they all whispered. Though they were confused, they were not about to go against their mistress' word. She was serious.

Peering around the corner, Tier wanted to assess the situation, however rational thought stopped when she saw the commander's flaming blade slice through Ichigo's chest. She felt a phantom pain in her own torso from where she had been similarly cut.

_'We will need to be quick, Tiburon,' _she thought.

**"I'm ready for anything, Tier. Let's go save your new obsession."**

Growling lowly, Harribel whipped her blade from its sheath on her back. Gripping it tightly, she quietly called out, _'Hunt, Tiburon!'._

The moment her release completed, she sonidoed forward toward the battling shinigami. Getting a brief glance of Ichigo panting in his bloody exhaustion, she drew her power and cried, '_Cascada_!'

To her slight surprise, her massive attack proved successful at catching the now one-armed commander off guard. While she knew it would not kill the man, she was pleased to see him brutally knocked off balance. Knowing she had but moments to spare before not only the commander, but the entire grouping of captains came after her, she made her move.

"Girls...here...now!"

As she left them to follow her orders, she sonidoed over very close to a faint Ichigo. Appearing next to him, she saw him look at her from under his hood with a worried glance. She wasn't surprised when he wearily asked, "W-Who are you?", before passing out into her waiting arms.

Allowing herself the slightest of smiles, she softly said, "Someone who appreciated your sacrifice."

As her fraccion appeared behind her, she saw the commander getting to his feet. Knowing that she had no alternatives, she lifted Ichigo onto her sword wielding shoulder, while raising her other arm behind her.

Ripping her finger across the air, she quickly created a garganta.

"Espada! Put him down! What do you think you're doing? Why are you taking him?", she heard the old shinigami bellow.

As she stepped into the garganta with her fraccion and the unconcious Ichigo in tow, she turned just as it started to close, calling out to the commander, "Because you do not deserve the sacrifice he made for you."

The moment she stopped speaking, the garganta slammed closed, leaving a crowd of stunned shinigami.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: aaaaaand, here's chapter 3! Thank you all so much for the love for ch's 1&2! To answer a common question: No, I do not have a set update schedule. I work a chapter until I feel it is good enough to come out. My beta helps me quite a bit in this aspect, helping me to be confident in what I put out. I'm going for quality, so I hope you don't mind a little wait for a better chapter! you know the drill by now: read, review, and i hope you enjoy!**

**_Still don't own bleach._**

Gargantas.

If there was one thing in all of the realms that Tier was thankful for at the moment, it would be a garganta. She was painfully aware that, had she not been able to open one in an instant, her moment of reckless abandon would have cost her and her fraccion their lives.

As she and her fraccion continued to steadily make their way, she became aware of the looks that each of the girls were giving her. Tier caught their quick peeks and confused glances coming back to her as she ran behind them.

She knew that she couldn't blame them. Still in her Resurrecion form, with an bleeding and unconcious shinigami-who was clearly in possession of the Hogyoku- hanging off of her shoulder, was not something any of them were prepared to witness.

Harribel knew that the whole scenario that her fraccion had just witnessed would make little sense to them. It was honestly difficult for her to explain to herself. She had never actually communicated with the young man she was carrying, nor did they have any direct connection. Yet, somehow she had been plagued but thoughts of and ruled by compulsions to see Ichigo Kurosaki ever since she saw him battle Grimmjoww and even more recently, dragging Aizen.

Continuing to think about the subject, Tier searched for something, some concrete reason that could explain her recent compulsions and actions. How could someone she had never actually met generate such a reaction?

Tier Harribel was someone who took pride in her calm, calculating personality, and her taciturn nature only supported that. She was someone who thought out her actions, rather than giving in to base hollow instincts.

However, in the mere day since first observing the young shinigami in action, Harribel's mind had been filled with (or obsessed with, as Tiburon called it) the enigma that was Ichigo Kurosaki.

Her thoughts that she had had during the last battle resurfaced as she considered the fact that a part human, part shinigami, part hollow had taken the equivalent of a suicide mission for one human...and survived. No, not only survived, but pressed on to risk even more for the sake of countless total strangers.

Yes, she knew that his sacrifice had garnered her attention, as well as the unique nature of his powers and selfless determination that he had demonstrated in Hueco Mundo, but was that truly enough to make her abandon rationality and feel..._feel_? The word stopped her train of thought.

The answer, or at least part of the answer, struck her as she realized that Ichigo Kurosaki had made her _feel_. Tier was not completely immune to feelings. She experienced emotions, such as annoyance over her fraccion's arguing and fury over the injuries to them. She had even felt a sense of loyalty to Aizen when he had saved her and the girls so long ago.

Yet, all of those emotions seemed tied to a sense of duty. Her fraccion were her charge, and while fond of them, she felt a responsibility for their welfare. With Aizen, she had owed him a debt for saving their lives. However, Ichigo Kurosaki caused her to feel something that was completely unfamiliar to her. It was something that felt akin to a sense of similarity, of equality?

It was hard for her to explain, but whatever it was that he had caused her to feel was...not unpleasant. Harribel knew that the young shinigami was a person that she could know outside of duty, of responsibility, and as someone that she wasn't required to look up to or out for-once he had healed, of course.

She would not make the mistakes of her past, though. While Ichigo had proven himself to be many things that she considered to be positive, one thing he hadn't proven to be yet was trustworthy. Not that she suspected him to be of such poor character, but her last attempt at trust had just recently ended with a blade slicing across her torso, and she had couldn't overlook the fact that she had never even met the young shinigami before today.

No. While she would offer to protect him as he recovered enough to decide his own path, due to her respect and admiration for his sense of sacrifice, he would have to earn her trust-should he desire it. Tier shook her head as she tried to push off such thoughts until she actually had time to stop and consider them more thoroughly.

She was distracted from her thoughts as she shifted her shoulder slightly, causing her to notice a warm, trickling sensation down her chest. Looking down, she saw a small trail of blood coming from Ichigo Kurosaki. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that several larger rivulets of his blood were trailing down on, and between her breasts and down to her abdomen.

Becoming slightly alarmed, she slowed her pace, causing the three women with her to slow as well. While they kept moving, Apacci and Mila Rose stayed in the front to create a path of reishi as Sung-sun fell back to Tier's side.

"Mistress Harribel?", she questioned. Though she did not understand what had been happening since she had woke up, especially the most recent events, her mistress would always have her unwavering loyalty and support.

Looking to her side, Tier noticed Sung-sun waiting to assist her. She felt relieved that her girls were supporting her now without complaint or argument. She would provide an explanation if she came up with an acceptable one, however the unconscious man on her shoulder was her priority.

"He is still bleeding. I want to retract my Resurrecion and change his position to make sure that he is alright," she said. While the amount of blood did not indicate a fatal wound, she still wanted to inspect him to make sure. She also admitted to herself that this would also give her a chance to finally see the face of the man who had defeated Aizen, however her fraccion did not need that explanation.

**"A little obvious, but I would also like to know that Ichigo-kun is alright,"** Tiburon echoed in Tier's mind.

_'Ichigo-kun? You haven't even met him, yet you're so familiar?_', Harribel asked, pointedly ignoring how she had been caught in her plans.

**"With as much as you've thought about him recently, we may as well be on a first name basis. Would you rather I just call him your obsession?"**

Tier growled in her mind. Tiburon often tried to distract her thoughts with sarcasm and nonsense, however she was ready to let her blade's spirit know that she was in no mood to be trifled with when her fraccion spoke.

"Of course, Mistress. I can hold him while you do so, if it would help," Sung-sun offered, interrupting the internal argument. The snake-like fraccion also wanted to see the face of the man who had captured her sworn mistress' attention. There had been Aizen's collection of images and recordings of him in Hueco Mundo, but this was a chance to see him up close.

Gently shrugging the young shinigami off of her shoulder, Tier gently laid him into Sung-sun's waiting arms. Once she had, she looked at her own body to see that he had bled more than she had expected.

Feeling slightly anxious, she quickly retracted her Resurrecion and sheathed her blade. Her regular clothing did little to hide the still-wet blood that was on her torso, but it wasn't a strong concern for her. Eager to check on the status of Ichigo's health, she quickly turned to look at him.

As Sung-sun held him across her arms, Tier gazed down at the angry red gash along his chest that was visible in the opening of his haori, just over where the Hogyoku was glowing. Even as she watched it, she noticed the lights of the bluish-purple orb pulsing and the wound very slowly healing itself, stemming the blood flow.

She didn't know what to think of the fact that Ichigo had obtained the Hogyoku. He had clearly gotten a different zanpakuto as well, but Tier decided she would simply ask him about them when he awoke.

When she had observed the scene as she rescued him, it was clear that he was not the aggressor, and though she was going to be careful around him, she refused to react as the shinigami commander had. She would give him a chance to explain what had happened, rather than simply attack him. Feeling Ichigo's reiatsu faintly flicker, she returned her attention to his condition.

_'It seems that the Hogyoku is using the high amount of reishi to help him recover and heal,'_ she thought to herself, relieved that the worst seemed to have passed. Reaching her arms out, she gestured to Sung-sun to return Ichigo back to her.

Accepting him into a bridal style carry, Tier fell back a few steps to run behind her fraccion. Settling into a comfortable pace, she finally had her chance to closely look at the man who had so thoroughly captured her attention. She quickly noticed that his hood had fallen back, allowing her to see him more clearly than she'd ever been able to before.

The first thing to catch her eye was the shaggy mane of orange hair. The first time she had seen an image of him, she had been surprised at the bright color, however it was really of little concern.

While she really didn't care whether it was orange or not, seeing it this closely showed her that not only did she actually like the color, but she thought that the style suited the young man quite well. It was long enough to partially cover his eyes, and created a unique look that seemed appropriate for someone like him.

As her eyes left his hair, they fell onto his face. He looked quite peaceful at the moment, the scowl that she had come to associate with him nonexistent. From what she knew of him, Ichigo Kurosaki was a man who carried many burdens and his expressions obviously mirrored that.

Feeling a change within the reishi in the area, Harribel noticed that she and her fraccion were nearing the end of the garganta. Sensing the much denser reishi concentration, she began to feel a flicker of excitement as she knew that the man in her arms would be awake that much sooner.

Continuing to keep her thoughts to herself, she looked back down at Ichigo and wondered, _'I wonder what surprises await us. It would be the height of foolishness to assume that the shinigami would let this pass without sending hunting parties to eliminate both us and Ichigo. Would he ever accept our aid? Add that worry to the fact that Hueco Mundo is now without a ruler to keep the peace, and this situation should be interesting.'_

She continued to ponder the subject as the small group continued to make its way towards the opening. Would Ichigo accept what had happened? Surely he would realize that she had acted in his best interests, but what really made her wonder was what their interaction would actually be? Would he panic and try to attack? Would he believe them and eventually become a companion for her and her fraccion? Someone that could be considered a...friend?

Her thoughts continued to race as her feet finally met the moonlit sands of Hueco Mundo.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Ichigo slowly regained consciousness and, eyes still closed, became aware of his immediate environment. His senses gradually alerted him to what felt like a very soft, warm pillow and a strange, but very pleasant scent. Opening his eyes, he found himself looking up at Kyoka's softly smiling face as his head rested in her lap.

**_"We really must quit meeting this way, Ichigo,"_** she said with a smirk. **_"While I admit that I do enjoy your presence, perhaps it would be best if you came here through using jinzen, rather than waiting to be on death's doorstep."_**

Ichigo was lost, too weak to be embarrassed by the intimate proximity. He had very vague memories of arguing, releasing Kyoka's shikai, and of Yamamoto cutting him, but it was choppy and focusing on it was like trying to look through murky water.

In a rather hoarse voice, Ichigo asked as he tried to contain his rising panic, "Kyoka? Are you ok? Are you hurt? What happened? Am I dead? Is Hogyoku ok?"

Kyoka could not stop the smile that spread across her face. In a matter of hours Ichigo had lost an essential part of himself, gained the two most controversial souls in the spiritual world, nearly died by the betrayal (at least in her mind) at the hands of those that he had sacrificed it all for...and his first question was how she was doing?

"What is it?", he asked weakly as he saw her radiant smile.

**_"I chose well,"_** Kyoka answered softly, gently brushing his hair out of his eyes. From his memories, she knew that he would balk, stutter and stammer at such actions when he recovered, however she wanted to try and build up his tolerance and acceptance of her touch. It would be a sign of trust, for her, so she wanted to use these opportunities wisely.

She decided to push those thoughts to the side for now. Ichigo was not ready for the conversation of how they would truly bond. It would come, in time, once they had built trust with one another and developed a deeper relationship. Right now, she was simply thrilled that not only had Ichigo accepted her quite quickly, but he already considered her someone under his protection.

Eager to quell his fears, she continued, **_"Do not worry, Ichigo. You are alive, and we are fine. You are again unconscious and here because your body has been through tremendous strain and trauma today, and you need time to recover."_**

"How am I alive? What happened?", Ichigo questioned. If his fuzzy memories were anything to go by, he should be dead. He remembered being exhausted and releasing shikai, Yamamoto cutting him, and then...then...water?

Ichigo was beginning to vaguely recall tons of water, as well as...a beautiful woman? For some unknown reason, Ichigo was visualizing a breathtaking blonde woman with teal eyes and tan skin. Before he could think about the woman too much, his thoughts were interrupted.

**"Yes, Ichigo. You were saved by an...unexpected...rescuer,"** Hogyoku said, vaguely answering the confused thought.

Still resting on Kyoka's lap, Ichigo was barely able to turn his head to the side to see a much different Hogyoku than he remembered. Instead of a blurry version of himself, Ichigo found himself looking at a solid white human-like form with brilliant purple eyes, but no other noticeable features. The form didn't even have a mouth.

"Hogyoku?", he asked, feeling slightly foolish. He couldn't imagine anyone else having come into his inner world, yet he felt obvious confusion at the new form.

Walking up to where Ichigo was lying Hogyoku said,** "It is me. I understand your confusion. When Kyoka and I came here, I selected a form based on our desires, as well as the assumption that it would be easiest for you to accept. However, due to the severe depletion on your reiatsu today, I am channeling all available energies to healing you. Once you are healed, I will chose another form."**

**_"You simply need to rest, Ichigo. You are in...acceptable care,"_** Kyoka began with a slight narrowing of her eyes. **_"While Hogyoku and I will be keeping a close watch, your rescuer seems to have your well being in mind."_**

"My rescuer?", Ichigo asked. "Who helped me? I remember a woman..." He trailed off as he began to remember more details of the breathtaking blonde he had envisioned earlier. Messy blonde hair, piercing teal eyes, and white hollow armor barely covering...

**_"Try not to worry about it. You will meet her when you wake, I am sure. As she did help to protect you, I will allow her to be the one to make introductions," _**Kyoka answered with a raised brow at Ichigo's sudden blush.

_'It seems that I might have to keep an eye on this,' _Kyoka thought, knowing exactly why he was blushing. Though she had been in Ichigo's soul for less than a day, due to her immersion into his memories and her interactions with him thus far, she felt that she knew him well and she was beginning to feel very...protective...of her new wielder.

In an effort to get his thoughts off of where his mind had strayed, Ichigo asked, "How long is it going to take for me to heal? I can't even easily move now."

This actually was very worrisome to Ichigo. Not only was he barely mobile, but his very presence was surely putting whomever had rescued him in danger. With Yamamoto's earlier reaction, it was safe to assume that Soul Society was going to send someone after him. Though he didn't know the identity of his rescuer, he would be damned before he let them get hurt for helping him.

**"Your healing will be completed soon, likely within a matter of hours. Wherever your body is, it is surrounded by a high level of reishi, making it much easier to work. However, due to the massive loss of reiatsu, coupled with the fact that we are so very new to your soul, restoring your power will take more time."**

**_"Once you are healed, we will spend the time that we must wait for your powers to replenish in training. Simply restoring your powers won't be enough, as I am quite different from Zangetsu,"_** Kyoka informed him. At the mention of his former zanpakuto, she saw Ichigo's face tense as if pained.

Frowning, she gently rested her palm on Ichigo's cheek as she softly said, **_"I know that the loss still hurts, Ichigo. While I am not Zangetsu, we can move forward and strengthen our bond to face the future. Do not let memories of him keep you in the past. Remember him fondly, but know that your decision saved countless lives. Be at peace knowing that the sacrifice you both made was not in vain."_**

Looking back up into Kyoka's piercing gaze, Ichigo could not help the small smirk that crossed his lips. At her raised brow, he said, "That sounds like something he would say. You're right. We will move onward, and we will create a bond of our own."

The smile returned to Kyoka's face as she replied, **_"We have already begun. Why, you've already released my blade."_** Smiling at the memory of him calling her release, the sensation she had felt was something she would never forget. The warmth that had connected her blade to Ichigo's hand in that moment had been incredible. She wasn't prepared for his reaction though, as Ichigo's eyes narrowed.

"Why _did_ you have me release your blade, Kyoka? I know you said it could be a mental edge, yet we both know that the Soutaichou would not be one to back down from that."

Something about that scenario just didn't make sense. He couldn't detect any malicious or harmful intent from her then or now, but something just didn't fit and he couldn't pin down what it was. Seeing her eyes break away from his for a moment though, Ichigo become suspicious. With a great effort, Ichigo slowly moved to sit up, needing to talk eye to eye.

**_"Ichigo! You are still too weak to be moving so much!"_**, Kyoka scolded. Though she knew that he may be unhappy with her hesitance, she would not allow him to harm himself out of stubbornness. Reaching out, she made to stop him from moving only to be waved off by Ichigo.

Finally making it into a sitting position, Ichigo looked into Kyoka's clearly worried face. Her expression made his suspicion falter, and he sighed. "Kyoka Suigetsu, if you are to be my zanpakuto...if we are to be partners, then you have to talk to me. I know it will take some time for us to fully trust each other, but we are in this together. You, Hogyoku and myself are bonded now and we can't keep secrets from each other. You can see my memories and hear my thoughts, but I cannot hear yours. So, again...why did you have me release your blade?"

Sighing as well, Kyoka met his eyes. **_"I never admit defeat until actually defeated. I knew that if we survived that battle, the shinigami would send others after us. After defeating the opponent that none of them could, you gained the-in their minds-greatest weapons from a war that nearly tore three realms apart. Knowing that, I wanted us to be ready for the future and to have an advantage. When you released my shikai, every shinigami present fell under my illusions. The only exceptions were your father and mentors, whom you warned. I know that deception is not something you are used to, but..."_**

Ichigo slowly held his hand up, stopping her. "I can understand that. Never be afraid to talk to me, or feel like you have to keep things from me. We may not always agree, but I will always value your perspectives. You acted in our best interests, thinking of the future, and I thank you for that. As far as my comfort level with deception, you are right: I'm not used to it. I assume that you have seen my battle style in my memories, so you know that I will fight as hard as I can to protect those that I care about."

Smiling in relief, Kyoka inched closer to the sitting Ichigo. She was right, she did choose well. In one breath, Ichigo had definitively established himself as Sosuke Aizen's antithesis. In her new bond, it was clear that she would be valued, respected, trusted and appreciated. She had to avoid grabbing him into a crushing hug, and chose to respond to his statement much more gently.

Reaching out her fingertip, she gently poked his forehead as she said, **_"You are correct, I have seen how you fight. While you are definitely a fierce warrior, Hogyoku and I will be working with you to make sure that you use this, and not just brute strength. My powers may not be as...explosive...as Zangetsu's were, but I think you will find that they are still quite effective. However, there is something that you need to know. Ichigo, training for us will not be simply learning new techniques and moves. We need to learn each other, lean on each other, and through our bonds we will become strong enough to protect whomever your heart desires."_**

**"She is correct, Ichigo. We will not settle for a shallow merger of our souls. We all agreed to come together, thus it must be together that we move forward. However, this conversation can wait as it seems that we are now surrounded by a much more dense environment of reishi. So dense, in fact, that I should have you healed in moments. I dare say that you will gain consciousness quite soon."**

**"Do not think that this means that you have to wait until you nearly die again before you come back. I will be expecting to see you again, soon. Be careful, Ichigo,"** Kyoka said as he felt himself being pulled away from his inner world.

XXXXX

Not fully awake, Ichigo became aware of voices. Feeling a cool, soft...something...against his back, Ichigo wondered just where he was. However, his thoughts were interrupted as he heard an angry female voice asking, "Ok, so what exactly is going on?! We just crashed a fight with most, if not all of the shinigami captains and attacked their commander just to kidnap one? Who the hell is he even supposed to be?!"

"We didn't kidnap him, you idiotic deer-brain! It's obvious that we saved his life!", another, deeper voice shouted in response.

"Who are you calling 'deer-brain', you oversized gorilla?!", the first one growled back.

A much calmer, quieter voice interrupted the argument, "You are both acting like children. This is the man who defeated Aizen. To call you primates at this point would be insulting to the species."

"Shut up Sung-sun! Nobody asked for your opinion," the original voice shouted. It was much louder this time. Ichigo felt the owner of that voice very close to him. He could tell that she was right next to him when he heard her clearly say, "Why did we have to get involved? So he beat Aizen, why does that mean that we had to take him from the shinigami? Just who is this guy?"

Finally, Ichigo was able to force his eyes open. He was startled as he was greeted by a pair of different colored eyes that were close to his face. Very close. Unable to contain his surprise, he yelped as he jumped, accidentally cracking his forehead on the one in front of him. "OW!", a pair of voices rang out.

Gripping his forehead, Ichigo shouted out, "Ow! What the hell?!" Panicking, he struggled to get to his feet. As he tried, he noticed his feet shifting, struggling for purchase. Looking down as he gained his balance, Ichigo realized that he was standing on moonlit sand.

_'Sand? Why is there...' _ He looked back up to notice a familiar landscape...Hueco Mundo? _How the hell did I get...'_

"Ow, you jackass, your head is like a damn rock! What the hell is wrong with you?!", the same voice shouted angrily, interrupting his question.

Ichigo's attention snapped to the source of the voice. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw a woman with white clothes, a deep scowl, one brown eye, one blue eye, short black hair, and a white..._horn_?

Next to her, he noticed two other women in similar clothing with similar white...he couldn't place them. _Wait, are those hollow fragments?! They have to be arrancar. They must be wanting to kill me for beating Aizen.'_

Ichigo began to feel a sense of panic flair in his chest. He knew that, while mostly healed, he was in no condition to fight. His panic increased even higher as he noticed that his scabbard was empty when his hand grasped air. Fear gripped his heart as he quickly called out _'Kyoka! Are you there?! KYOKA?!'_

**_'Ichigo, I am here! Calm yourself, I am here,_**" Kyoka said soothingly. He felt a warmth in his chest, spreading slowly. '**_However, my blade is being held by your rescuer."_**

Looking back up, Ichigo noticed the three women tensed and frowning, but none had drawn their weapons, nor held his. "What is going on? Where is my zanpakuto? Why did you bring me here?!", Ichigo asked, his voice getting louder with each question. He was finding it hard to calm down as he was in what he knew to be a hostile environment, surrounded by multiple arrancar, and no way to defend himself.

**"No way to defend yourself? Am I nothing more than an attractive ornament? I will not take offense to being forgotten, this time. Once time has passed and your powers have been restored though, slips like that will not be tolerated. As, Kyoka said, relax. If the arrancar around you had wanted to harm you, you would not have woken up,"** Hogyoku said, sounding irritated.

Ichigo took a deep breath. _'Sorry. As you know, it's been a long day. Lets...let's just see what this is all about.'_

Returning his focus to the women in front of him, Ichigo took another deep breath. He couldn't shake his trepidation of not knowing where his blade was, but he knew that blindly panicking would likely bring more harm than good. "Ok...ok. What exactly is going on? How did I get here?"

"I believe that I can help to clarify the situation," a deep female voice said from behind him. Spinning around, Ichigo quickly froze as he realized who was now in front of him. It was...'_it's her'_.

Standing in the moonlight was the woman that Ichigo remembered from his hazy dream...sort of. Her messy blonde hair framed her face, stray bangs falling forward but not blocking her big, teal eyes. Ichigo's assessment paused as their eyes met. He found that he had to struggle to look away from the piercing gaze, as it seemed to be assessing him, testing what they saw.

When he finally broke his eyes away, he noticed a high white collar covering all of her face below her eyes. Following the collar down, Ichigo was stunned to see deep crimson bloodstains on the stark white cloth starting at the woman's shoulder.

As his gaze continued along the trail of blood, Ichigo's entire body froze as he noticed more than hints of substantial curves escaping from the bottom of the apparent half-jacket. Feeling a massive blush flood his face, he quickly made note of the trails of blood traveling down her incredibly toned abdomen. Flushing even deeper at his observations, his eyes finally fell upon the gleaming blade held in her hands.

**_'Seems to have taken you a moment or two longer than expected to notice that, I see,'_** Kyoka commented dryly. Now aware of Ichigo's intensely prude nature, she didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused at his reaction to the less-than-modestly dressed arrancar.

_'What?! No! I mean, I wasn't...I'm not a...' _he stammered. Trying to push the embarrassment aside, his eyes never left the sword. He certainly felt better seeing Kyoka's blade, but would not be able to put a stop to his apprehension until it was once again in his hands. Rescuer or not, he could not allow anything to happen to it.

**_'Alright, Ichigo, alright. Just concentrate on your conversation with her, instead of leaving an extended awkward silence.' _**She could not be irritated with Ichigo after his protective thoughts about her. Slightly frowning in the inner world, Kyoka discovered that she had quickly developed quite the soft spot when it came to her new wielder.

Inwardly sighing, he again met the eyes of the blonde haired woman in front of him. "Who are you? Why are you holding my zanpakuto?", he asked as neutrally as possible.

"I simply wished for my fraccion and I to have a chance to speak with you without worrying about defending ourselves. Do not be anxious, Ichigo Kurosaki, for we mean you no harm," the woman said, her voice a calm alto.

As if to prove her point, she slowly walked closer to Ichigo, held Kyoka's blade across her palms, and when she was standing less than an arms length away, presented it to him.

Taking the sword, Ichigo was stunned as he simultaneously felt a strong warmth emanating from the blade the moment it touched his hands, as well as a strong whiff of the scent coming from the blonde arrancar before she stepped back a few paces. The smell somehow reminded him of the ocean, and helped to calm his tense nerves.

Exhaling the breath that he didn't know he had been holding, Ichigo asked, "Fraccion? So that means that you're..."

"Yes, until earlier today, I was an Espada. My name is Tier Harribel, former Tres Espada. As for your question regarding 'what is going on', the answer is simple. My fraccion and I were able to escape with you before the shinigami commander was able to kill you."

Ichigo nodded in acknowledgement, briefly . He had already assumed as much. The question that plagued his mind, what he truly wanted to know was..._why_? Sheathing his sword, he decided to actually voice the thought. "May I ask why? Not that I am ungrateful, but why would you want to help me?"

"You dare question Lady Harribel's kindness, shinigami?!", the woman whose head he had smashed into shouted from behind him. "You should be bowing to her, rather than bothering her with your questions!"

"That is enough, Apacci," Tier said. After what she witnessed from the young shinigami, he should bow to no one. Sensing her hot-headed fraccion wanting to continue her ranting, she quickly leveled a glance at her that clearly stated, '_Enough_.'

Before he could respond, Harribel continued, "These are my fraccion. Emilou Apacci, Franceska Mila Rose, and Cyan Sung-sun." As she said each name, Ichigo would nod and the corresponding woman would nod in acknowledgement. When she introduced Mila Rose, Ichigo couldn't help but blush again at her attire.

Surrounded by women, with two of them being quite scantily clad and his tendency for blushing profusely, he thought, _'Thank Kami that it's always nighttime here.'_

**_"Something drawing your attention, Ichigo? I see you're just as observant as when you met me,"_** Kyoka said in his mind. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard a slight edge in her voice.

Quickly stifling those thoughts, Ichigo turned to the angry arrancar and quietly said, "No, Apacci-san, I would not question the staggering kindness that she showed me. I simply wanted to know what I could have possibly done to deserve it. I was under the impression that arrancar and Espada were not ones to consider shinigami as friends."

Turning back to Tier, Ichigo noticed she had a raised eyebrow and had what he could only assume was a speculative look in her eye. "Before you answer, Harribel-san, I do want to say...thank you. I can't pretend to know why you helped me, but you saved my life and I don't take things like that lightly."

Tier had a tiny smile under her mask fragment. While this was nowhere near what she would label as 'trustworthy', Ichigo's humility was...refreshing. In a matter of a few sentences, he had shown more humility and gratitude than she could ever remember seeing from anyone besides her fraccion.

While she found the discovery to be pleasant, she also found it to be puzzling. No one she had ever met that had great power ever did anything except flaunt that power and try to assert it over others.

However, she still couldn't subdue her suspicion. _'Is he simply being this humble because of his current state? From his reiatsu levels, I can tell that he is-at least for the moment-quite weak. Do his words come solely from fear of knowing that we could easily overpower him? Would he still say the same when at full power?'_

Deciding to think on that topic more at another time, she struggled with what to tell the young shinigami. Obviously, she could not tell him about her near obsessive thoughts of him, nor did she feel right about leaving him with no answer.

Sighing internally, she decided to go with what she had already said. She wanted to give him some sort of answer but felt the need to escape to actually have time to consider all that had happened.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, I came to your aid because I appreciate the sacrifice you made." As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and began to walk away as she said to the group, "We need to move. I am sure the shinigami will send their soldiers after us. Ichigo Kurosaki, come with us."

Ichigo stood where he was for a moment, stunned. He frowned at the tidal wave of questions that flooded his mind. '_My sacrifice? How does she know about that? Go with them? They save me from multiple captains and the Soutaichou, admit to knowing that they are still in danger from the shinigami, yet still want me to go with them? Whatever she knows about my sacrifice must have made one hell of an impression.'_

He was jolted out of his thoughts as he heard Apacci yell, "Are you coming, or are you just going to stand there looking at the sand all night?!"

Turning to follow, Ichigo knew that this was his only choice for the moment. He would have to follow Tier Harribel and her fraccion at least until his. Starting off, he followed after what he now considered to be one quite annoying arrancar and her mistress.

**XXXXX**

**_World of the Living, Outskirts of Battlefield_**

Isshin Kurosaki stood staring at the spot where the garganta had closed just hours before. He didn't know exactly how long it had been since he had last moved, but he couldn't find it in him to care. His thoughts were clouded by what he had recently witnessed, and the possible consequences.

_'Ichigo, what the hell happened to you? You obviously used the Final Getsuga Tensho, but how did you get the Hogyoku AND Kyoka Suigetsu? Not only that, but an Espada...an Espada saves you from being killed by old man Yama. What the hell is going on?'_

Shaking his head, he sighed. No doubt the Espada was taking him to Hueco Mundo...but why? Surely whoever she was would realize that Soul Society would not accept this lying down. They would send people...captains after them. While he was grateful that the obviously powerful arrancar had kept him from certain death, he had little confidence in a positive outcome.

Isshin was frustrated as he had no way of actually knowing what was happening to his son. _'At least he's got someone strong looking after him.'_ His thoughts were distracted as he felt water from the Espada's attack lapping at his feet.

Turning, he saw the source of the disturbed water. Kisuke Urahara was walking up to him with a worn expression. As he came up to the elder Kurosaki, he placed his hand on his shoulder, sighing before he spoke.

"Isshin, I won't be dense enough to ask how you are...but, we need to go. Mayuri is about to transfer the real Karakura town back to where it's supposed to be. Yoruichi and I took everyone who wasn't a shinigami back to the store. She's there, helping Tessai take care of them. The Soutaichou evacuated all of the shinigami back to Soul Society for an emergency meeting. We need to head back to the store as well, to regroup and discuss our options."

Scratching the back of his head, Isshin sighed as well. "Yeah, I know." Pausing for a minute, he turned his gaze to where his longtime friend was standing. Without blinking, he asked, "Kisuke, do you know what happened? With the Hogyoku and Kyoka Suigetsu...do you know what happened to my son?"

Kisuke frowned. Today seemed to be his day for delivering bad news to the Kurosaki family. He found himself silently cursing Aizen as he took in the look on Isshin's face. _'No parent should have to face this.'_

"I have an idea. Without Ichigo here to verify it, I can only make an educated guess. Lets head back to the shop and I will tell everyone once we are there. You should bring Yuzu and Karin by as well. Jinta and Ururu will be able to take care of them while we make a plan of action."

Hearing Isshin grunt in acknowledgement, the two started off. Around an hour later, after he had gathered his daughters and brought them to the shop, he left them with Urahara's young helpers and joined the group that had convened in the underground training facility.

Looking around, the elder Kurosaki recognized everyone in attendance. While some present were surprising, all were known to be friends of Ichigo. Kisuke and Yoruichi were there, along with Tessai, Chad, Orihime, Uryu. However, looking to the side, he also noticed the bandaged Visoreds standing in a group.

Clearing his throat, Isshin caught everyone's attention. "I know we've all had a long day. Kisuke is going to explain to us what happened as best he can, so that we can decide what to do from there. Before he begins, though, I want to make one thing clear: No matter what is said, no matter what is revealed, remember that this is Ichigo that we are talking about. The Ichigo you all know, the one who would and did lay his life on the line for each of you."

As he finished, confused looks and murmurs spread throughout the room. Before the speculation could get too out of hand, Kisuke stepped forward and held his hands up. "Before I can tell you what happened, it would help if you knew about Ichigo's battle with Aizen..."

After giving as much detail as he had about the battle, with Isshin filling in with information about the Final Getsuga Tensho, he finished at the point of Aizen falling to the dirt. Around the room, the confused looks had shifted to a mixture of awe and horror.

"Ichigo sacrificed his own powers...part of his soul...", Shinji muttered.

"Of course Ichigo would lay down his own powers and life for others," Chad said, echoing the sentiments of several others in the room.

"Does this mean that Ichigo's powers are now gone? Is that why he is not here, or is there more to this story?", Uryu inquired, pushing his glasses up. The young Quincy wasn't exactly sure what to think. Isshin's warning still rang in his mind, and he had a sneaking suspicion that this story was not done.

Kisuke paused, looking at the ground to collect his thoughts. '_Here we go,_' he thought. You are correct, Uryu, the story is not over. At this point, I must ask you all to hear me through til the end before asking questions. I will give you all the information I have."

Seeing everyone nod in agreement, Kisuke took a deep breath and continued. "When Aizen fell, Ichigo's powers began to quickly deteriorate. After a few moments, Aizen actually started to regenerate and stand up. His zanpakuto crumbled, yet he was able to stand when Ichigo couldn't." Urahara paused for a moment as gasps spread around the room.

Continuing quickly, Kisuke said, "Luckily, Ichigo had weakened him enough to where a kido seal I had invented could take effect. It took little time for it to completely encase Aizen, but it eventually did. Not long after, Ichigo..." He paused. While he didn't like remembering this part, he thought those gathered deserved to know the truth.

"Not long after?", Isshin prompted. This was the part that he had been most curious about. He knew the process and feel of the Final Getsuga Tensho, so he had to force himself to be patient as Urahara filled everyone else in on the events up to this point.

"Not long after, it was clear that Ichigo experienced a...considerable...amount of pain, followed by a massive outpour of black reiatsu, and his zanpakuto disappeared. When he had caught his breath, he and I spoke for a minute about what had happened, and the consequences of those events. When we had been silent for a moment, Ichigo turned and bellowed out in anger at the seal that Aizen was trapped in."

Scratching the back of his head, Urahara paused to clarify. "It is at this point that I will begin to guess at the 'why' behind what happened next. The moment Ichigo stopped his yell, a large pulse of energy shook the ground around us. The pulsing continued, gaining in intensity, and as the pulsing intensified, so did the reiatsu pressing on the area. When it was at its most intense, rendering us immobile, a purple beam of light shot out from Aizen's seal to Ichigo's chest. When I was finally able to move again, I was barely able to catch Ichigo as he lost conciousness."

Everyone in the room was looking at Kisuke, listening with rapt attention to his every word. At the terrified look on their faces, Urahara pressed on. "Now, for those of you who do not already know, Ichigo _did_ wake up. When he did, he was...different. There is no easy way to say this, so I'll simply say it. Ichigo is now in possession of both the Hogyoku and...Kyoka Suigetsu.

"WHAT?!", could be heard echoing across the dusty sparring grounds as everyone aside from Isshin, Kisuke and Yoruichi shouted in horror.

"You can't be serious!", Shinji shouted. Both of those were bound to Aizen, so how the hell could they have ended up in Ichigo?"

"You can't just _take_ someone's zanpakuto, Urahara-san. How do you know that he actually has them?", Uryu asked angrily.

Kisuke could understand their feelings. He was-is-still concerned about the situation himself. Raising his eyes to the group once more, he said quietly, "Because the Hogyoku was in his chest when he woke up, and he released Kyoka Suigetsu in front of us."

The looks on the faces of the group would have been hilarious in any other scenario. At this moment, he knew he had to break the worst news to them.

Before anyone could ask, he continued, "I wasn't finished with the story. When Ichigo awoke...he was seen by the Soutaichou and all of the other captains present with the Hogyoku in his chest. Yamamoto instantly demanded that Ichigo turn it over into Soul Society's custody, but Ichigo refused. Not a moment later, Yamamoto attacked Ichigo. After batting him around in his severely weakened state, Ichigo told us three," he motioned to himself, Isshin and Yoruichi, "to cover our eyes and that we'd know when it was safe to look. He then released Kyoka Suigetsu in front of everyone present."

"Is he ok? Where is he now? Why did the Soutaichou attack him?", and many other loud questions erupted the moment that Urahara stopped speaking. Stepping forward and holding his hands up, Isshin quieted the group.

Taking over the story, he said, "Just listen. We're almost done. Look, Ichigo was in a tight spot and we were being blocked by the captains present. When the Soutaichou was about to make his final strike, a blonde Espada attacked him, knocking him off balance. The moment she had, she caught Ichigo when he fainted, dragged him and what I assumed to be her fraccion into a garganta and disappeared. That's all we know."

Though gasps could be heard from most present, no one could actually form words. Finally gaining his composure, Chad stepped up to Isshin. Worry evident in his normally stoic expression, the large man asked, "Did they take him to Hueco Mundo? Was anything said that could give us a clue as to where they took him?"

"I can only assume so, Chad. When Yama-jii asked what they were doing and why they were taking him, the woman simply said 'because you do not deserve the sacrifice he made for you.' We have no other information. Not even an idea of who she is, besides the fact that she is an Espada."

"Her name is Tier Harribel. She is the Tres Espada," Orihime said silently, tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, her fraccion made me heal her when I arrived back. I...I didn't know she would...I mean..."

"The Tres Espada?", Isshin asked, eyes wide, mirroring those around him. _'Damn, son. At least I can assume that you're safe for now. Not many captains could handle someone that powerful.'_

Seeing the tears in the young girl's eyes, Isshin put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't you worry. To be honest, you saved his life. If she hadn't interfered, Ichigo would have been cut down by the old man."

Several in the room relaxed slightly. While this was incredibly unusual, the Espada had made no move to harm Ichigo. Hell, the _Tres Espada_ had saved him from the _shinigami Soutaichou._

Still, all in the room knew that this was not the last they would hear of this. If Yamamoto would attack Ichigo over the Hogyoku, him having Kyoka Suigetsu and being saved by an Espada would surely put him at the top of Soul Society's hit list.

"What are we going to do?", Yoruichi asked quietly as several present broke off into their own discussions. "Soul Society is not only going to send parties to look for Ichigo, they're going to be tracking us as well. If we go looking for him, we may actually lead them right to him."

"I'm not just going to sit around and hope that my son turns up ok. I agree that we need to be careful, but one way or another, I will be going after him," Isshin said in an equally quiet tone.

"Isshin, I know you are concerned, but what we need now is information. We all care for Ichigo, but for now we need to assume that he's in the best care he could be in. The Tres Espada doesn't strike me as the type to randomly kidnap shinigami, and we know that most captains would have their hands full with just her, not to mention three pretty strong fraccion," Yoruichi replied, trying to console her long time friend. Truth be told, she was concerned for Ichigo as well, but being familiar with onmitsukido tactics and the Soutaichou's apparent enthusiasm when taking on Ichigo made her very cautious.

"Yoruichi's right, we need more information. Let's see if her contacts can provide us with any intel once their meeting is over," Kisuke told him.

Seeing that the elder Kurosaki was about to object, he held up his hand, "While we are waiting, I will be working on a way for us to enter Hueco Mundo undetected. Mayuri will no doubt be monitoring reiatsu traffic between the realms. Trust us, Isshin, we care for Ichigo too. We just need to make sure that we don't lead Soul Society to him. He's too weak right now to handle a captain. With the reishi concentration in Hueco Mundo, he will recover faster there anyways. For now, we just have to wait."

Isshin growled as he realized that they were right. Still, he would not wait for long. _'Stay safe son. Come hell or high water, I will come for you.'_ He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him though. _'It was hell and high water that saved your ass.'_

**XXXX**

**Hueco Mundo**

After several hours of walking, the group was finally taking a short break. It had been quite an interesting walk thus far. While Tier had not said another word to Ichigo, much less even looked at him, her fraccion were a different story.

While walking, Ichigo would often look up to find one or more of the women staring curiously at him as he trailed behind the group. As he had put his hood back up, he was able to keep it from looking like he was leering back at them when they stared. After the first few hours, he finally started to meet their eyes. It was strange, though, as he had expected them to instantly turn away. Instead, they only stared harder, creating an odd tension whenever Ichigo was the center of attention.

Their stares were often broken up by their own bickering, though. Ichigo soon learned that Sung-sun found great amusement in sparking Apacci and Mila Rose's tempers. A simple comment could and was easily turned into a shouting match while the pink-eyed arrancar would smirk behind her sleeve.

Tier, however, seemed oblivious to the constant shouting and fighting taking place behind her. Walking at a brisk pace at the head of the group, the blonde Espada appeared to be able to shut out any and all distractions.

As she was walking in front of the whole group, Ichigo took the opportunity to assess his taciturn rescuer. She walked somewhat rigidly, her back perfectly straight, but she still had a sense of fluidity about her that Ichigo found slightly captivating.

Still observing, he also had noticed that her messy blonde hair was in three tails of moderate length, falling over her horizontal sheath. While not a normal style, Ichigo had admit to himself that it suited her well.

Continuing his assessment, Ichigo noticed a series of darkened shapes running down her spine below her cutoff jacket. Looking more closely, they all oddly resembled shark's teeth, lining up and down her spine. As Ichigo looked at the trail they made, he found himself following it down to her hakama which were low on her slightly swaying hips. _Quite_ low.

His face flushed crimson as he caught himself looking at how the tops of her tanned hips stuck out of the sides of the white hakama and..._dammit! Do women just not believe in actual clothes in Hueco Mundo?!_ Quickly shaking his head, his embarrassment grew as he heard a voice in his head.

**_"My my, Ichigo, your powers of observation are getting much stronger. Wouldn't you agree, Hogyoku?",_** Kyoka said with a note of irritation in her voice.

_'What? No! I was just...just...'_

**"By the blush on his face and memories I have found of similar incidents, I would imagine that his range of observational skills is quite limited,"** the dry sounding spirit observed, interrupting Ichigo's spluttering.

Ichigo's mortification grew as images and scenes flashed of times when he had been forced to blush the hardest-specifically memories of Yoruichi's shifting and Matsumoto's 'greetings'-and began playing on loop in his mind, not of his own volition.

_'Stop! Quit playing those memories!'_

**_"I see. Tsk tsk Ichigo, and here I thought I was special by how you reacted in our first encounter,"_** his zanpakuto (slightly) teased. From his memories, she knew that Ichigo was anything but a pervert, however she could not help the feeling of irritation that flared whenever he actually noticed an attractive woman.

She had seen that it happened quite rarely, and that she had been one of the ones that had caught his attention, so when others were noticed...she noticed. While not needy, Kyoka couldn't deny the pleasure she felt when Ichigo noticed her in that manner. Her ego was quickly stroked as Ichigo's mind instantly reverted to the memories of Kyoka's appearance and scent, as well as the warmth he had felt when lying in her lap, at her words.

Feeling his embarrassment and sense of propriety fighting with the sense of begrudging admiration that Ichigo had for her form, Kyoka decided to be merciful. She quietly whispered **_"Thank you,"_** in his mind, falling silent with a flash of warmth, and noting Ichigo's immediate relaxing.

However, shortly after, the tension concerning Ichigo had finally broken when he had unintentionally choked in surprise at a snide comment that Mila Rose had said to Apacci about her diminished bust size in comparison to her own. While he had made it a point to try and not notice anything about the women in front of him, he had apparently been 'caught' glancing in the general direction of said bust by an embarrassed Apacci.

The horned arrancar flushed and asked, "Tch, why do you have that stupid hood up? You shinigami always look ridiculous. You probably only have it up so that we can't catch you leering at us, pervert. If you keep it up I'll kick your ass!" While she didn't truly think that he was leering, he had been present for her blatant personal embarrassment, thus making him fair game for her wrath.

"Apacci!", Mila Rose and Sung-sun yelled, mortified at the lack of manners shown to someone obviously under their mistress' care.

"What the hell? I'm not a per-OW!", Ichigo yelled, gripping the side of his head. The women around all halted where they were, turning to see the shinigami grimacing in pain as he clutched the side of his head as if he'd been hit. However, he quickly shifted from grimace to embarrassed frown and was shaking his head no before clutching his head again.

"What is wrong with you? Being a ridiculous looking pervert too much for your head?", Apacci scoffed. Before either of the other fraccion could chastise her, they all noticed Ichigo straightening up and looking at her.

"Ok! Kami, you almost shattered my brain," Ichigo complained quietly, as if to someone else.

"Who are you talking to?", Mila Rose asked, confused by his actions.

"My zanpakuto," he answered. Looking back to Apacci with a blush, he muttered something unintelligible. The look of discomfort on his face as he spoke, as well as his subtle shifting, spiked the curiosity of the other fraccion present.

Still furious with embarrassment, the loud arrancar shouted, "What?! Quit mumbling and speak up!"

"She wants me to tell you that while she deeply appreciates Harribel-san's saving me, if you insult her choice of style again, she will turn your horn into a nub. But also, if you ever call her wielder a pervert again, a flat chest and nubby horn will be the least of your worries."

Apacci stood their dumbstruck, while Sung-sun and Mila Rose erupted in loud laughter. The embarrassed arrancar quickly became more and more furious, yet was halted as a hand appeared on her shoulder. Instantly tensing, she turned to see Tier holding her shoulder while looking her in the eye.

"You should be careful who you provoke, Apacci. That is enough for now. We will stop to rest for a few moments before continuing."

Grumbling, Apacci stalked off as the other two fraccion moved slightly away as they contained their giggles. Standing now alone, Ichigo turned to see Tier staring at him from a few paces away. "Uh...I didn't mean to stir anything up. I really wasn't..."

Tier held up her hand to cut him off. "There is not a need for apology, Ichigo Kurosaki. Apacci can be quite brash when her pride is hurt. However, was that really what your zanpakuto said?"

Seeing her brow raised as if she found it amusing, Ichigo answered with a small smile, "It's just 'Ichigo, and yeah. It seems that she is quite protective of her sense of style." After a brief pause and wince, he added, "and of me, too."

"I see. Might I inquire as to how you obtained both the Hogyoku _and_ a new zanpakuto? I was present for most of your battle with Aizen, but lost as he stood over you with a crumbling zanpakuto."

Frowning, Ichigo thought a moment before responding with a note of uneasiness in his voice, "It's...complicated."

Leveling a flat look at him, Harribel simply said, "I have no doubts in my ability to keep up."

Realizing that his words could easily be offensive, Ichigo quickly backtracked. "No! I wasn't implying that you couldn't keep up, rather...well, you might not be as accepting of me, should you know the truth."

The blonde Espada's eyes narrowed in contemplation at the statement. "I would hear you out completely before making any decisions. I do not rush to judgments."

Realizing that he wasn't really going to find a way out of the conversation, he sighed and rested his hand on the pommel of his sword. "Then the first thing you should know, besides the fact that I have bonded with Hogyoku, is the name of my new zanpakuto. Her name is Kyoka Suigetsu."

_'So that is why he was worried. I admit it to be somewhat alarming, but I will hear him out before saying anything.'_

Ichigo expected...well, he expected something more than what he got. After an initial widening of the eyes, Harribel simply narrowed them again in speculation and said, "Continue."

"Shortly after the point that you had lost consciousness, Aizen was trapped in a kido seal created by one of my mentors and my former zanpakuto was...ripped from me," he said with a frown. Feeling a warm pulse come from the sword his hand was resting on, he continued.

"Kyoka showed me her memories of this time. While I was in numbed shock, she was in immense pain. Aizen had disregarded, violated, and betrayed her, rejoicing in the fact that she was crumbling. She cried out for me, calling for me in the midst of her pain. Soon, Hogyoku heard her cries and they both detached themselves from Aizen and came to my soul. After hearing their story, and living her memories, I accepted both of them. That is why I was being attacked when you saved me."

Tier was frozen in thought. Being as perceptive as she was, she knew that he wasn't lying _'Even after having part of his soul so violently ripped from him, he still wanted to protect others...even the ones that had been used in an effort to kill him. And his zanpakuto, the unfortunate soul that was attached to Aizen. I can understand why she would want to leave him. As for the Hogyoku, it seems that it is far more sentient than we were led to believe.'_

Standing there, waiting for her to speak, Ichigo decided to break the silence. "So...what happens now?"

"Now we travel to Las Noches. There are supplies there, as well as a safe place to stay. As the leadership has quite obviously dissolved, we must make sure that Hueco Mundo does not plummet back into chaos. I advise you to stay with us, at least until you are strong enough to survive on your own, then you may do as you wish."

_'She is ok with me staying with them? I...didn't really expect that.'_ "Are you sure that you are ok with me staying with you? You know that Soul Society is going to be sending others after me. I will not allow you to be put in harms way over me. You have done so much already, and..."

"You will not allow?", Harribel asked as her rich alto voice hardened. "While I can appreciate the sentiment, I am smart enough to know the consequences of my actions. If you feel honor-bound to protect, then I would recommend training and getting stronger as your powers recover so that you may actually do so. I do not make offers lightly, Ichigo."

"Ok, ok. I just...I wasn't questioning you, Harribel-san. I just don't want to disrespect your actions for me by putting you and your fraccion in unnecessary danger. However, if you are alright with it, I will stay with your group."

Harribel could not deny the small flicker of warmth that she felt at his explanation and acceptance. She felt herself wanting to know more about this shinigami named Ichigo, and the long trip to Las Noches would certainly provide the opportunity. However, she still did not fully trust him, and she certainly did not trust this new feeling.

Turning and walking away, Ichigo heard her say over her shoulder as she paused her steps, "Very well. However, do not expect to simply accompany us. You must train and gather your strength. As of this moment, you are the weakest part of our group, and I not only expect you to get stronger, but I will test you to make sure you are. If you still want to go with us, come on."

Ichigo frowned as he followed behind her. While he got the feeling that she did not particularly care for his presence, he could not doubt that he was pleased to have such a formidable force testing him, not allowing him to be stagnant.

Kyoka, though impressed with the stoic Espada, had to let Ichigo know what was really to come. **_"Oh Ichigo. You think that SHE will test you? I am going to make any training she could throw at you seem like a peaceful afternoon. You are my wielder, my partner, and I will not allow scenarios like what happened with the Soutaichou to happen again. I hope you're ready._**

Walking along the moonlit sand, Ichigo couldn't help but grin at the protective tone in Kyoka's voice. _'Don't worry, Kyoka. I promised to protect you, and I meant it. We, along with Hogyoku, will grow stronger and protect each other and our bond. And as far as training, I want your best shots."_


End file.
